


Into the Pirateverse

by hobbitsizedwhovian



Series: Pirates of the Caribbean [1]
Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Comfort/Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Jack being Jack, Original Character(s), Pirates, Swordfighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:48:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 41,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24342325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbitsizedwhovian/pseuds/hobbitsizedwhovian
Summary: Evelyn Holmes and Abigail Brooks are two best friends who are about to have their world turned upsidedown. Thrown into a world they thought was only fantasy, they have to learn how to survive. (Gosh, this makes it sounds so much edgier than it actually is. I just suck at summaries...and titles.)
Relationships: Elizabeth Swann/Will Turner, Hector Barbossa/Original Female Character(s), Jack Sparrow/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Pirates of the Caribbean [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1757416
Comments: 10
Kudos: 55





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I appologize for the crappy summary and title. I just couldn't think of anything good. Anyway, I've had this story sitting in my google docs for a while now. I've reread and edited it so many times I figured it was time to just post it because it's probably not getting any better at this point.

**Evie POV**

“Holy crap!” I gasped as I slammed the front door behind me and leaned against it to catch my breath.

“Is it a little wet?” My best friend/housemate Abigail asked, walking out of the living room with an amused smile on her face.

“Just a little,” I replied back sarcastically, moving a wet piece of red hair out of my face.

“Well hurry up and go change,” Abby told me. “You’re leaving a puddle of water on the floor.”

“Yes, mother,” I muttered with a roll of my eyes, but smiling all the same. Abby and I had known each other since childhood. Her parents adopted me after my parents died when I was 5. We were inseparable, doing everything together. After her mother died when we were teenagers, we were forced to get jobs as her father began drinking and got fired from his job. He died not long after of a broken heart, leaving Abby and I alone. Thankfully, we were both of age and had saved enough money to rent a flat together. I wandered down the hall to my room, changing from my drenched work clothes to a large t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. I ran a towel through my long, red hair, then braided it. “So, what movie are we watching tonight?” I asked as I came back downstairs.

“I was thinking _Pirates of the Caribbean_ ,” Abby suggested, walking out of the kitchen with a large bowl of popcorn and two sodas in her arms.

I grinned. “Excellent choice!”

“Why thank you,” Abby said smugly. She popped in the _Curse of the Black Pearl_ and we sat down on the couch with the bowl of popcorn between us. “You know, that has got to be one of the most awesome entrances in cinematic history,” she commented as we watched Jack Sparrow, excuse me, _Captain_ Jack Sparrow enter Port Royal on his sinking boat and step onto the dock.

“Well, Jack does have a thing for being dramatic,” I agreed with a chuckle.

“Ah, but that's what I love about him,” Abby sighed with a fangirlish smile. “He's only predictable in so much as he’s unpredictable.”

I chuckled at her somewhat confusing statement. “Careful, Abby. I think your lover boy is starting to rub off on you.”

“At least my lover boy is good looking,” Abby scoffed. “I just don't see why you're so fascinated by Barbossa. He may dress nice, but other than that…”

“It's not really so much his looks, it's more his complicated personality,” I told her. “I like how he's a villain at first, but his character has evolved by the third movie. His fancy outfit is just a bonus, especially that hat of his. Besides, in all honesty, he's not _that_ bad looking, just a bit rough around the edges.”

Abby rolled her eyes and popped another piece of popcorn into her mouth. “Whatever you say.”

“Hey, I bet he would fiercely protect someone if he truly cared about someone,” I protested. “At least he does in the fanfiction I read.”

“That aside, however, we can at least agree that Will is gorgeous.”

“Yes, he is,” I agreed heartily, tossing a piece of popcorn in my mouth. “Elizabeth is lucky to have him.” We continued watching the movie, doing our best to ignore the raging storm outside. It had gotten worse since I had gotten home, turning from simple rain to a full blown thunderstorm. Abby had taken the throw blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it tightly around herself.

“I really _hate_ thunderstorms,” Abby mumbled, drawing her blanket closer around her as another clap of thunder sounded.

I glanced nervously at the window. “I don’t mind them, but only if they’re during the day.” Another clap of thunder sounded, and the tv screen went black. “Oh, come _on_!” I complained. We had just gotten to the battle scene in the cave between Jack and Barbossa, which happened to be one of my favorite parts despite Jack shooting Barbossa in the end. Letting out a frustrated huff, I got to my feet and approached the tv.

“Um, Evie, I don't really think you should do that,” Abby warned me.

“Relax,” I told her as I tapped on the top of the screen, as if that would help. I poked my head around the screen, trying to get a good look and the wires. “I really hope the storm didn't fry the connection. I really don't fancy having to buy another tv.” I sighed and pulled my head out from behind the TV as another clap of thunder sounded. Abby came over to join me, still wrapped tightly in her blanket. I pressed the on/off button, but unfortunately that didn’t work. I let out a frustrated growl and went to smack the top of the tv just as another strike of lightning flashed, immediately followed by a clap of thunder. A shock went up my arm and jumped to Abby and our world went black.


	2. Not in Kansas Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie and Abby wake up after the unexpected tv malfunction and are surprised when they figure out where they've landed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, here's the second chapter. I hope I did an ok job with keeping the characters...in character. I apologize if any of the main characters act too ooc.

**Abby** POV

I was awoken by hushed whispers. I furrowed my brow and opened my eyes. My vision was blurry at first and I could just make out three men standing several feet away. I blinked several times to clear my vision and frowned in confusion at what I saw. Two of the men looked strikingly familiar. I felt like I was in some kind of Colonial reproduction. The first man was older, a long, grey powdered wig on his head indicating his high status. He was dressed finely in a light blue frock coat decorated with lace trimmings and a patterned green waistcoat. The second man I deemed was military. He sported the typical 18th century naval uniform of white pants and waistcoat topped with a blue frock coat. A belt around his waist held a sword. I didn’t recognize the third man, but he wasn’t dressed as finely as the other two. I shifted slightly on the bed I was laying on and the noise alerted the three men to my presence. They stopped talking and turned to me.

“Good, you’re awake,” the man I didn’t recognize said, smiling gently. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, I suppose,” I replied. He must be a doctor, I guessed. I was surprised by his accent. While America was a melting pot of cultures and nationalities, I didn’t usually come into contact with British back home. “Where am I?”

“You’re in my mansion,” the older man supplied. “I’m Governor Weatherby Swann.” I just barely stopped my jaw from hitting the floor. He couldn’t be. There was no way, I must be dreaming. I suddenly realized I had been staring and quickly turned my gaze to look around the room.

“How did I get here?”

“My men found you floating near the docks,” the navy man answered, stepping forward. “Captain Norrington, my lady.” I stiffened and my eyes widened a fraction at the name. “Do you have any idea how you came to be here?” 

“I -” I started to say, but I cut myself off. What should I tell them? It couldn’t be a coincidence that these two men shared names with characters from one of my favorite movies. I couldn’t exactly tell them I came from a world where they were all characters in a movie. I had no idea how I had gotten here, so I decided my best bet would be to play amnesiac victim. “I don’t know. I-I can’t remember anything.”

“Well, let’s start with what you can remember,” the doctor suggested. “Can you remember your name.”

I nodded. “Abigail Brooks.”

“And how old are you?”

“22.”

“Is there anything else you can remember?” I thought for a moment, trying to think of what I could risk telling them. Telling them I was from another world was out, I would be chucked in a madhouse before I could say ahoy. My eyes suddenly widened as I remembered what happened before I woke up here.

“Evie!” I gasped.

“I beg your pardon?” The doctor asked, surprised at my outburst.

“I was with my best friend Evie,” I explained. “Did you find a girl my age with red hair?”

“I’m afraid the only person we found was you, Miss Brooks,” Norrington said. I was quiet as I sat there. If I wound up here, where was she? “We will do our best to find your friend, Miss Brooks,” Norrington assured me, seeming to take my silence for distress. I nodded gratefully.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” I apologized, hanging my head and staring at my hands. “I wish I could remember what happened.”

“Well, based on the information you’ve given us, my guess was that you were on a ship that was either shipwrecked or attacked,” the doctor mused. “Since you can’t seem to remember anything, something must have happened to cause you to lose your memory.” I nodded, a bit relieved that now I didn’t have to worry about coming up with a background story.

“What’s going to happen to me now?”

“You are welcome to stay here until you have recovered,” Governor Swann offered.

“Are you sure, sir?” I inquired, looking to the man in surprise.

“Certainly,” Governor Swann replied with a smile. “I can’t very well leave a young woman to fend for herself. Besides, I’m sure my daughter would love to have another woman around.”

I smiled gratefully. “Thank you very much, sir.” The Governor nodded and the three men left. I pulled my legs to my chest and rested my chin on my knees, heaving a heavy sigh. I was still having trouble believing I was actually in the POTC world. I was partly hoping that this was just a dream and I would wake up in the hospital to find out the whole electrical thing with the tv put Evie and I in a coma or something.

**Evelyn POV**

I awoke the next morning with a quiet groan. ‘ _ What a weird dream _ ,’ I thought, opening my eyes. I wasn’t met with my white ceiling as usual, but a dark wood. I sat bolt upright, glancing around. I wasn’t in my room. The room I was in now was small, having only enough space for a small desk and the bed I was on. I tossed the blanket off my legs and got to my feet, swaying slightly as the room seemed to tilt. I walked out of the room and into a larger adjoining room, using the wall to keep me steady as the room seemed to sway. I gazed around in awe. The room was made of the same black wood as the room I was just in. There were many ornate objects in the room, including a large table in the center. The unlit candles on the table slid from one side to the other as the entire room tilted slightly, making me stumble a bit as I tried to keep my balance. The room was lit only by a row of windows on one side. There was something about the room that seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I wandered over to the windows, curious to know where I was. Looking out, I was met by a vast expansion of water. I was on a ship. ‘ _ Well that explained why I was having trouble staying upright _ ,’ I thought. ‘ _ Although, that still doesn’t explain exactly where I am. _ ’ Another pressing question was how did I get to wherever I was? And where was Abby? I was so immersed in my thoughts that I didn’t hear the door open nor the sound of approaching footsteps.

“I see ye’ve finally woken up,” a voice spoke. I jumped nearly a foot in the air and spun around to face the newcomer. My jaw practically hit the floor at who I saw standing there. “Apologies, I didn’t mean to startle ye,” Barbossa said, chuckling at my reaction. I didn’t say anything for a few moments. Captain Hector Barbossa was standing in front of me, complete with Jack the Capuchin sitting on his shoulder. I blinked, recovering a bit from my shock at finding one my favorite characters in front of me.

“Who are you?” I asked once my brain started working again. I certainly couldn’t let him know I actually knew who he was, that would be a bit hard to explain. 

“I am Captain Barbossa,” he told me. “And yerself?”

“Evelyn Holmes,” I answered. “Where am I?”

“Yer on the  _ Black Pearl _ ?”

_ ‘The Black Pearl _ ,’ I repeated in my mind. Well, that explains why the room seemed so familiar. I must be in the Captain’s Cabin. “How did I get here?” I asked out loud.

“Found ye floating in a longboat,” Barbossa answered. “Me crew hauled ye aboard.” The Captain tilted his head and I shifted uncomfortably under his piercing gaze. “Rather strange to find a longboat so far from land. Any idea how ye wound up so far out at sea?” I frowned. He found me in a longboat? How on earth did I get there anyway and why wasn’t Abby found with me?

“Shipwreck, I think” I decided. “My memory’s a bit fuzzy.” Barbossa narrowed his eyes slightly. My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt like he was looking into my soul with his sharp blue eyes.

After a moment Barbossa nodded, accepting my answer. “A shipwreck can do that to ye and there’s no telling how long ye were driftin. Probably dehydrated.” I nodded in agreement and relaxed a bit, relieved that he believed my story.

“Was I the only one you found?”

Barbossa nodded. “I suspect ye must have floated away from the wreckage. It’s quite possible ye were the only survivor.” I lowered my head solemnly. I hoped Abby was alright. It was quiet for a moment while I worked up the courage to ask the question that worried me the most.

“What’s going to happen to me now?” I asked apprehensively.

“Well, I’m not in the habit of takin’ on women as part of me crew, but I believe I can make an exception for yer situation,” he said. “So, that leaves ye with two options. Ye can stay on my ship until we can drop ye off at the nearest safe port, or ye can serve on me crew.” I held back a grin. He offered me a place on the crew! This was a dream come true! I took a deep breath to calm myself.

“Can I have a few minutes to think?” I inquired, not wanting him to get suspicious by giving him my answer so quickly.

Barbossa nodded again. “Aye. Come find me on deck when ye’ve made yer decision.” He gestured to an ornate trunk in the corner. “There should be some clothes in there fer ye to change into, not that my crew would mind if ye showed up in what yer wearing.” I frowned and glanced down at my outfit in confusion. I blushed heavily as I realized I was wearing a poet shirt that was much too big for me. Thankfully, my undergarments were still on and the shirt was long enough to cover everything. I subconsciously crossed my arms in front of my chest, suddenly feeling exposed. “Don’t worry, it was nothin I hadn’t seen before.” Barbossa chuckled at my embarrassment, causing my blush to deepen. He left, closing the door behind him. I walked over to the trunk and opened the lid. Inside was an array of different clothes. I rummaged through the clothes, looking for something I would be comfortable in.

A few minutes later, I was examining myself in a mirror I had found. I had chosen a blue, women’s waistcoat to go over a smaller poet shirt that actually fit me. I also wore a pair of black leggings and leather boots. I tied a purple sash around my waist and complemented it with a belt. I brushed my hair as best I could with my fingers and braided it. All in all, I thought I looked pretty good. Feeling confident in my new outfit, I left the cabin and went on deck to find Barbossa. The main deck was bustling with pirates, all rushing about to do their assigned jobs. As soon as I stepped on deck, however, the entire crew stopped in their duties to look at me. My confidence bolted back below deck and I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling very self conscious.

“I was about to come and check on ye,” Barbossa spoke from behind me, causing me to jump.

“Is this going to become a habit with you?” I asked, glaring at the smirking Captain with a hand over my rapidly beating heart.

“Probably,” he replied, blue eyes shining with amusement. He ran his gaze over my new outfit. “I see ye’ve made a decision then?”

I nodded. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay here. My memory may be compromised at the moment, but as far as I can remember, I don’t have any family. So, no one will miss me. I think it would be a bit difficult for a woman with no memory of her background to get a job anywhere.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. The only family I had left was Abby, but I didn’t even know where she was.

“Ya wouldn’t have much trouble finding a job in Tortuga, however, I don’t think an innocent flower such as yerself would last very long in a pirate haven.” I blushed heavily and lowered my eyes at the insinuation. The captain chuckled. “Ya needn’t worry, no such harm will come to ye on my ship.” I looked back at him, a little surprised at receiving such a promise from a pirate, let alone a pirate like Barbossa. “Best introduce ya t’ the crew,” Barbossa said. He turned his attention to his crew, who were still watching me curiously. “Listen up, ya dogs! This is Miss Evelyn Holmes. She’s our newest member. She is not here fer yer pleasure, so I don’t want t’ seeing any funny business. Is that clear?” Murmurs of acknowledgement rippled through the crew. “Pintel, Ragetti!”

“Aye, Capt’n?” The two pirates asked as they hurried forward.

“I want you two to show Miss Holmes around and find her a sword,” Barbossa told them.

“Aye, Capt’n.”

“A sword?” I asked.

“I may be the captain, but I trust me crew about as far as I can throw ‘em,” Barbossa admitted. “Ya may be a member of the crew now, but yer still a woman aboard a pirate ship. I’ll not have ye unarmed and unable to defend yerself.”

I bowed my head and wrung my hands. “Yeah, about that…”

Barbossa raised an eyebrow. “Ye don’t know how t’ handle a sword, do ye?”

I shook my head sheepishly. “Not really, no.”

The Captain stroked his beard, gazing at me thoughtfully. “Hmm, guess I’ll have to teach ya.” My jaw nearly hit the floor.

“You would be willing to teach me?” I asked in surprise. This day seemed to be full of them.

“Who better to teach ya than the best swordsmen on the ship?” Barbossa replied proudly, puffing out his chest slightly. “I won’t go easy on ya, though.”

“I would hope not,” I said with a quiet chuckle. “I wouldn’t learn very fast that way.”

“Nay, ye wouldn’t,” the Captain agreed. “Help Miss Holmes find a sword and meet me back on deck.”

“Please, call me Evie,” I corrected. “Miss makes me feel old.”

“Very well, Evie.” He jerked his head to Pintel and Ragetti and walked off.

“Right this way,” Pintel said.


	3. Five Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter my dudes! I really hope this is good.

**Abby** **POV**

It had been five years since I washed up on the shore of Port Royal. Elizabeth, the Governor’s then 15-year-old daughter was quite interested in me and stayed with me as much as she could while I was forced to rest by the doctor. We got along extremely well and quickly became fast friends. Her father, possibly feeling sorry for me, took me in and treated me as his own, even allowing me to call him father when I slipped up after living with the Swanns for almost a year. I was rather surprised that a governor would take in a complete stranger, but I was grateful all the same. Elizabeth seemed happy to have another woman in the house other than the maids. As I was 7 years older than her, she became like a younger sister to me, we shared almost everything.

I stood on the balcony to my room, breathing in the salty ocean air. A light breeze blew past, ruffling my long black hair. I swept my ocean blue eyes over the scenery in front of me. The Governor’s house was situated on a hill and my balcony gave me a beautiful view of the Port Royal harbor. I had been living with the Swanns for five years and was now 27 years old. It was a lot to get used to, going from living with my best friend in the 21st century to living as a governor’s daughter in the 18th century. I often wondered what happened to Evie. I assumed she wound up here too, where was the question. Over the last five years, I’ve kept my eyes peeled for any sign of her, but so far nothing. I've also spent the last five years reading all I could about pirates and sailing. Figured, if I was in the world of POTC, then I should be prepared. I was broken from my thoughts by a knock at my bedroom door.

“Come in,” I called as I drew my dressing gown tighter around my body. My adoptive father walked in flanked by two maids, one of them carrying a box. I smiled as I walked back into my room. “Morning, father.”

“Good morning, Abigail,” my father greeted with a warm smile. “Glad to see you are awake. I have a gift for you.”

“A gift, really?” I asked. “What for?”

“Well, I got one for Elizabeth and I couldn’t very well forget her sister, could I?” He replied. He gestured for the maid to open the box. I looked in and gasped at what I saw.

“Oh, father!” I cried in delight, pulling out a beautiful blue dress. “It’s gorgeous! It’s perfect for the ceremony today!”

My father smiled. “I’m glad you like it. Now go on and get dressed while I go wake Elizabeth.” I went behind my changing screen, followed by the two maids. They helped me slip into the corset that came with the dress and I gasped as they tightened it.

“Isabella, would you mind loosening the laces?” I asked one of the maids. “It would be a bit embarrassing if I passed out during Captain Norrington’s promotion.”

“Yes, miss,” Isabella replied.

“Isabella, I’ve told you and Mary to call me Abby,” I reminded her, wincing slightly as she tugged the laces of my corset loose.

“Sorry...Abby.”

I smiled. “Thank you.” I took a deep breath as she finished loosening the laces. “That’s much better.” Isabella tied the laces and she and Mary helped me into my dress. Mary then fixed my hair. I thanked both my maids and went out into the hall.

“Impressive, very impressive,” my father was saying as I came to the stairs. I looked down into the foyer and saw my father examining a sword in his hands. Will Turner, apprentice to the local blacksmith and my best friend was standing in front of my father, a proud look on his face as he watched my father. 

“Hello, Will,” I greeted cheerfully as I walked up behind my father.

Will smiled and nodded. “Miss Swann, good to see you.” I had gotten to know Will quite well over the last five years. I had convinced him to teach me how to sword fight, not that my father knew that. I managed to get him to call me Abby when we were alone, but no matter how many times I told him, he insisted on calling me by my adopted last name whenever we were in public. I found it rather amusing.

“Abigail, you look beautiful in that dress,” my father complemented, causing me to blush slightly. I looked at the sword my father still held.

“Is that Commodore Norrington’s new sword?” I asked.

“Yes, it is. Mr. Turner was just delivering it.”

My eyes light up. “May I see it? I’ll be careful,” I promised when my father hesitated. He consented and handed it to me. I examined nearly every inch, pulling the blade out of the scabbard slightly. “Will, it’s beautiful!”

“Yes, Commodore Norrington is going to be very pleased with this,” my father agreed as I passed the sword back to Will who was practically beaming at my appraisal. “Do pass my compliments on to your master.” Will’s face fell and I closed my eyes briefly in annoyance. I knew perfectly well that Will had made that sword along with all the others he had sold. Unfortunately, his master, Mr. Brown got all the credit for Will’s hard work.

“I shall,” Will replied, hiding his disappointment. “A craftsman is always pleased to hear his work is appreciated.” Will stopped speaking and stared wide eyed at something behind us. I turned around to see Elizabeth on her way down the stairs, adorned in her new dress.

“Ah, Elizabeth, you look stunning,” my father complemented, smiling proudly at his daughter. I noticed Will opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it and nodded in agreement.

“Will! So good to see you!” Elizabeth said happily as she walked down the stairs. I noticed her hand drift absentmindedly to her neck. “I had a dream about you last night.”

Will blinked, obviously surprised. “About me?”

“Elizabeth, is that entirely proper for you to-” my father attempted to say, but Elizabeth ignored him.

“About the day we met. Do you remember?”

“How could I forget, Miss Swann?” Will replied, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“Will, how many times must I ask you to call me Elizabeth?” Elizabeth scolded lightly.

“At least once more, Miss Swann, as always,” Will politely replied, causing Elizabeth’s smile to falter. I rolled my eyes. Always the gentleman.

“There, see, at least the boy has a sense of propriety,” my father said. “Now, we really must be going.” He took the case with the sword and handed it to a servant and headed out the door.

“Good day, Mr. Turner,” Elizabeth replied coolly. She gathered her skirts and strode past Will. I shot Will an apologetic smile before following. I felt bad for him. It was clear that he had feelings for Elizabeth and that Elizabeth had feelings for him, but neither one of them would admit it. Not that it would really do much good anyway as Elizabeth was the daughter of the governor and was expected to marry someone of a higher class. Poor Will was just the apprentice of the local blacksmith.

The ceremony went by rather slowly. Poor Elizabeth looked extremely uncomfortable and tried to discreetly adjust her corset.

“Would you like me to loosen your corset, Lizzie?” I asked once the ceremony had ended.

“Yes please!” Elizabeth said with a sigh of relief. “I can barely breathe.” Unfortunately, before I got the chance, the newly promoted Commodore Norrington walked over.

“May I have a moment?” He asked Elizabeth. He extended his arm and she hesitated before taking it. I gave her a questioning look and she nodded in reassurance. I watched as she and Norrington walked off. I guessed he was going to propose to her. It wasn't a secret that he fancied Elizabeth. Unfortunately, I knew that Elizabeth didn't feel the same for him. In all honesty, he was a nice guy, but I wasn't sure if he was the man for her. I turned my head when I heard Norrington shout Elizabeth’s name. I noticed that she was no longer standing on the ramparts. I wasted no time in bolting for the docks, barely noticing as the sky darkened and the wind picked up. I reached the docks just in time to see two soldiers, Murtogg and Mullroy helping a man I recognized as Jack Sparrow drag Elizabeth out of the water.

“Lizzie!” I gasped, rushing over and dropping to my knees beside the unconscious girl, barely taking time to notice she was no longer wearing her dress. I quickly put two fingers against her neck and sighed in relief when I felt a pulse. That relief quickly turned to panic as I noticed she wasn’t breathing. “She’s not breathing!”

“Move!” Jack ordered as he shoved me aside. He grabbed a knife from Murtogg and slit her corset down the middle. He tossed the corset to Murtogg who caught it with a flinch. For a frightening few seconds, nothing happened. Suddenly, Elizabeth gasped and started coughing up water. I sighed in relief.

“I never would have thought of that,” Mullroy commented.

“Clearly, you’ve never been to Singapore,” Jack replied flatly. His gaze then landed on the medallion around Elizabeth’s neck and he picked it up. “Where did you get that?” Before Elizabeth could answer, a point of a sword was thrust under Jack’s chin, Norrington’s sword to be exact.

“On your feet,” Norrington snarled. Jack slowly rose to his feet, keeping his eyes on the sword. I helped Elizabeth to her feet. Now that I was no longer worried about my sister, I was able to get a good look at Jack. I ran my eyes over his form. I always thought he was good looking in the films, but that did nothing to prepare me for finally seeing him in person. His skin was tan from years out in the Caribbean sun, his hair was in its usual dreadlocks, his trademark red bandanna was tied around his forehead, complete with the usual beads and wale bone. He had a mustache and small beaded beard, but it was his eyes that got me. Those dark, chocolate brown eyes that I could just lose myself in.

“Elizabeth! Abigail! Are you alright?” My father asked in concern, breaking me from my trance. He stripped off his coat and draped it over my sister.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she assured our father. My father caught sight of the corset that Murtogg was still holding. Murtogg quickly dropped the corset and pointed to Jack.

“Shoot him!” My father ordered.

“Father!” Elizabeth protested. “Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?” Norrington hesitated, glancing at Elizabeth. Norrington sighed and sheathed his sword. Jack gave a grateful nod to Elizabeth.

“I believe thanks are in order,” Norrington decided, holding out his hand to Jack. Jack hesitated before slowly shaking Norrington’s hand. Norrington tightened his grip and pulled up Jack’s sleeve, revealing a scar in the shape of a ‘P’ on his wrist. “Had a brush with the East India Trading Company, did we, pirate?”

“Hang him,” my father declared.

“Keep your guns on him, men,” Norrington ordered. “Gillette, fetch some irons.” He pulled Jack’s sleeve up a little higher, revealing a tattoo of a sparrow. “Well, well...Jack Sparrow, isn't it?”

“ _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir,” Jack corrected. I had to use every ounce of self control I had to keep from squealing in delight.

“Well, I don't see your ship...Captain,” Norrington said mockingly.

“I'm in the market, as it were.” I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

“He said he'd come to commandeer one,” Murtogg spoke up.

“Told ya he was telling the truth,” Mullroy told Murtogg. “These are his, sir.” He grabbed Jack’s effects and handed them to Norrington.

“No additional shots nor powder,” Norrington commented as he searched through Jack’s things. “A compass that doesn’t point north.” He partially unsheathed Jack’s sword and smirked. “And I have expected it to be made of wood. You are without a doubt the _worst_ pirate I've ever heard of.”

“But you have heard of me,” Jack piped up. I let out an involuntary laugh which I quickly covered with a cough when I was given some strange looks. Norrington glared at Jack before roughly grabbing his arm and dragging him off.

I jogged to catch up with him. “Commodore, please, you must reconsider.”

“Carefully, Lieutenant,” Norrington warned as he passed Jack to Gillette to be shackled.

“Pirate or not, this man saved my sister’s life,” I argued, moving to stand between Norrington and Jack. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to reward chivalry with the hangman's noose.”

“One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness,” Norrington retorted.

“Though it seems enough to condemn him,” Jack pointed out.

Norrington glared at Jack. “Indeed.” Gillette finished shackling Jack’s wrists and stepped away.

“Finally,” Jack muttered. Before I could react, Jack had thrown his chains around my neck.

“No, don't shoot!” My father shouted in panic.

“I knew you'd warm up to me,” Jack said with a smirk. “Commodore Norrington, my effects, please, and my hat.” Norrington hesitated. “Commodore!” Norrington set his jaw and grabbed Jack’s effects from Mullroy. “Abigail. It is Abigail isn't it?”

“I prefer Abby, actually,” I corrected. I was surprisingly calm despite the fact that I had a chain around my neck. I mean sure, my heart was pounding, but it had little to do with my life being threatened. I could tell that Jack didn't really want to hurt me, he was just looking for an escape. I was honestly having trouble deciding if I should fangirl over how close I was _the_ Captain Jack Sparrow or if I should be annoyed that I was being used as his scapegoat.

“Abby, if you'd be so kind,” Jack said. I fought down a blush as his breath tickled my neck. “Come, come dear. We don't have all day.” Jack's things were shoved into my arms and he reached around to grab his pistol. He spun me around and held the pistol to my head. Once again, I wasn't too worried as the pistol wasn't cocked. I sighed and tucked the compass into his belt. Jack smirked, obviously enjoying our close proximity. “Now if you'd be very kind.” I shoved his hat on his head and strapped on his sword. I wrapped his baldric around his shoulder and I saw him smirk satisfactorily at Norrington. I gave the baldric a swift tug, making sure it was secure. “Easy on the goods, darling.”

“Considering I'm saving your life and you saved my sister’s life, I hope this means we're even,” I told Jack, raising a questioning eyebrow and smiling flirtatiously.

“Aye,” Jack agreed, flashing his signature smirk. “I think this makes us square.” He spun me around, pistol still pressed to the side of my head. “Gentlemen, m’ladies, you will always remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!” With that, he shoved me towards Norrington. Jack kicked a nearby lever and grabbed a rope.

“Now, will you shoot him?” My father asked in annoyance.

“Open fire!” Norrington ordered. His men fired at Jack as he swung around on the rope, eventually landing on a beam bore us. “On his heels!” I watched in awe as Jack threw his chains over a rope and slid down to the ground. “Gillette, Mr. Sparrow has a dawn appointment with the gallows. I would hate for him to miss it.” Gillette nodded and took some soldiers with him.

“Abigail, are you alright?” My father asked in concern.

I nodded and tried not to let out a fangirlish sigh. “I'm fine, father. Let's go home.” My father nodded and led Elizabeth and I home.

**Evelyn POV**

It had been 5 years since I started sailing with the crew of the _Black Pearl_. I fit in with the crew surprisingly well. I think the crew actually liked having me aboard. I did just about every job on the ship and I think I impressed the crew with my willingness to do any task given to me. I even found I had a knack for climbing things as I could scale the rigging faster than anyone else. I had added a few accessories to my outfit. A flintlock pistol was now shoved into my belt and a baldric held my cutlass. I had also found a black frock coat to finish my look. Barbossa continued to teach me how to fight and even taught me how to sail with a bit of prodding from me. He was a tough teacher, but I learned a lot. The crew would often pause in their duties to watch Barbossa and I spar. Like he said, he was a master swordsman and it took me several months to last any more than a couple minutes against him. It took me a while to find the right sword. All the swords I tried were too long for me and felt awkward in my hand. Barbossa wasn’t much help either as he wanted me to try every single sword in the armory. I eventually found a suitable sword. It was a plain cutlass, nothing fancy about it, but it got the job done. It was shorter which made it easier for me to handle. Thankfully, once I found the right sword, I was able to last much longer against Barbossa. Occasionally, I would spar with other members of the crew, usually Pintel or Ragetti. I had made it my duty to get to know every member of the crew. Out of everyone, I had taken a liking to Pintel and Ragetti. I found the two funny, though they never tried to be.

Currently, I was in my cabin, patching a tear in Ragetti’s coat. I passed the needle through the fabric one last time and tied off the thread. I held up my coat and smiled in satisfaction at my handiwork. I left my cabin and headed to the main deck.

“Oi, Ragetti!” I called.

“Aye?” The one-eyed pirate asked, coming over.

I handed him his coat. “All fixed. Try to be more careful next time,” I told him with a teasing smile.

“Thanks,” Ragetti said, slipping into his coat. I nodded and turned, spotting Barbossa standing by the helm, his first mate Bo’sun at the helm.

“Captain,” I greeted with a nod as I climbed to the helm. “Bo’sun.” Bo’sun nodded in acknowledgment and turned the wheel a degree. Jack the monkey screeched and jumped onto my shoulder. I smiled and reached up to stroke the monkey. “Hello to you too, Jack.”

“Evie, are ye ready for our spar?” Barbossa asked.

“Why do we continue to spar?” I inquired. “You know I'm the best swordsman on the ship besides you.”

“Aye, that may be true, but there’s always room for improvement,” the pirate lord replied.

I sighed. “I don't think one day off will kill me.”

“It very well could,” he countered. “‘Sides, you didn't become the best swordsman on my crew by slackin’ off.”

“Oh, alright,” I conceded with an over dramatic sigh. I followed Barbossa to the main deck and Jack jumped off my shoulder, scampering off up the rigging. “Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and beat you this time.”

Barbossa scoffed and drew his sword. “You and I both know that’ll ne’er happen.”

I shrugged as I drew my cutlass and moved into a fighting stance. “A girl can dream, can’t she?” As always, the crew paused in their duties to watch. We paced around each other, waiting to see if the other would make the first move. Barbossa charged at me and I swung my blade to block his. The clank of the swords rang out. We continued to spar, our movements almost like a dance. I had learned to use my smaller size to my advantage. I was quicker and more agile than many of the other crew members. Unfortunately for me, while this technique worked on the other crew members, it wasn’t as effective with Barbossa. I spied an opening in Barbossa’s defenses and swung my blade, but he saw it coming. He brought his own blade up to block mine. I pressed my weight against his sword and he pressed back, backing me against the mast. My arms shook with the effort of holding back his blade and my eyes darted around frantically, looking for a way out. I glanced down and spotted my escape. Quick as lightning, I slipped down and rolled through Barbossa’s legs as he stumbled from the release of pressure against his blade. I sprung to my feet on the other side and spun around to strike. Unfortunately, Barbossa was too quick and blocked.

“Impressive,” he complimented. “But ye need to be quicker than that.” Almost before I had time to register what was happening, I found myself lying on the deck, Barbossa’s sword at my throat. The crew erupted into cheers and hollers and Barbossa smirked. “I think that was a new record.”

“And I think you enjoy this _way_ too much,” I grumbled. Barbossa chuckled and held out his hand to me.

“Probably,” the pirate captain replied, tugging me to my feet. I nodded gratefully to Ragetti as he passed me my cutlass.

“I thought for sure I had you that time,” I sighed, sheathing my cutlass.

“That was an impressive move,” Barbossa admitted. “Not many would see that coming.” I smiled at the compliment. Suddenly, the entire ship shook, knocking me to the deck again.

“What the heck was that?” I asked, getting to my feet.

“We’ve got a lead,” Barbossa declared, making his way back to the helm.

“The medallion?” I asked, following.

Barbossa grinned devilishly. “Aye!” He shoved Bo’sun aside and took the helm.


	4. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter peeps! Hope you enjoy!

**Abby POV**

Later that evening, Elizabeth lay in her bed with a book in hand. Her maid, Estrella, was preparing a bed warmer while I lounged on my stomach with my own book. When I first arrived in the POTC world, I made it my mission to learn all I could about pirates. I couldn’t remember any of the plots from the movies, so I figured reading as much as I could would be the best arm myself, so to speak. Luckily, the governor’s home had a large library. I grabbed every book I could find about pirates, but my favorite was the one about Jack Sparrow. It had been a while since I’ve read it, so I figured I needed a refresher after my encounter with the famous captain.

“There you go, Miss,” Estrella said as she slipped the bed warmer under the covers. “It was a difficult day for you both, I'm sure.”

“I suspected Commodore Norrington would propose but I must admit, I wasn't prepared for it,” Elizabeth said.

“And you, Miss, being threatened by that pirate. Sounds terrifying,” Estrella told me.

“I suppose,” I said with a shrug. Truth be told, it had been rather exciting and the most fun I’ve had in the last 5 years. Not that I didn’t have fun being the Governor’s daughter, but I can only take so many fancy balls and uppity higher class people. It’s a bit annoying always being expected to be on my best behavior, only ever being able to relax when I’m alone or with Elizabeth.

“But the Commodore proposed. Fancy that. Now, that's a smart match, Miss, if it's not too bold to say.”

“It is a smart match. He's a fine man,” Elizabeth said absentmindedly, her gaze far away. She shook her head. “He's what any woman should dream of marrying.”

“Well, that Will Turner, he's a fine man, too,” Estrella commented.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at the maid. “That _is_ too bold.”

“Well, begging your pardon, Miss. it was not my place,” Estrella apologized.

“Oh, leave her alone, Lizzie,” I scolded lightly as the maid left. “You're not exactly subtle in your feelings for Will.”

“What feelings?” Elizabeth asked.

I gave her a pointed look. “Really, Lizzie? It's not hard to tell you're completely infatuated.”

“I'm not infatuated.”

“Mhmm,” I hummed, smiling in amusement.

**Evelyn POV**

The _Black Pearl_ sailed into Port Royal. I stood at the rail, gazing through the dark at the town. Only a few lamps were still lit, most of the town being asleep. I glanced to the side as Barbossa stepped up beside me, the moonlight showing his true nature. I had found out about the curse only a few months into my voyage on the _Black Pearl_.

_Flashback_

_I woke with a start to the sound of cannon fire. I groaned and shoved my pillow over my head to try and drown out the noise. This was not the first time I have been woken by cannon fire. Barbossa seemed to prefer to do his pillaging and plundering at night, which meant I wasn’t allowed to take part in it. I had asked Barbossa about it, but his only reply was it was easier to sneak up on unsuspecting ships at night. The Captain had only ever given me one rule and that was to stay in my cabin at night. I was always curious as to why, but since he was kind enough to give me a place in his crew I didn’t ask for his reasoning._

_“Why can’t they do this during the day when I’m not trying to sleep?” I grumbled. I sighed and got out of bed, knowing I wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep with the cannons. I walked over to the small desk in my cabin and grabbed one of the books I had borrowed from the Captain’s quarters. I returned to my bed and started to read. A few minutes later, I heard the distinct sound of swords clashing. I threw down my book and rushed to my door, pressing my ear to the wood. I could hear shouting and clashing metal and I realized the ship must have been boarded. This was new, we had never been boarded in the past. Though I knew the crew were capable swordsmen, I felt the need to help. I tried to open my door only to find it locked. I rushed about my cabin, throwing on my boots and grabbing my cutlass. I pulled out a dagger I kept under my pillow and worked the lock until I heard it click. Grinning in triumph, I swung my door open and ran out only to skid to a halt at what I saw. Pirates swarmed the deck, all engaged in fighting one another. What had surprised me was the skeletal pirates running around. “What the heck!” I muttered. One of the normal pirates spotted me and advanced. I quickly drew my cutlass and blocked his blow. He swung again and I blocked. The pirate growled and pressed his weight against his sword, forcing me to one knee. However, before he could do anything else, his body jerked as the point of a sword protruded through his stomach. The sword withdrew and the pirate collapsed to the deck._

_“What’re ye doin’ out here, Evie?” A familiar voice demanded. I looked up at my savior and my jaw nearly dropped._

_“Pintel?” I asked the skeletal pirate. “What happened to you?”_

_“We don’t ‘ave time fer that! Ye know the Capt’n don’t want ye out at night,” Pintel told me._

_“But I want to help!” I protested._

_“We can ‘andle this!” Pintel said. I was about to retort when I noticed another pirate approaching Pintel from behind._

_“Look out!” I shouted, but it was too late. I let out a startled scream as the pirate shoved his sword through Pintel’s skeletal ribcage. Much to my surprise, however, Pintel simply growled, turned around, and impaled the other pirate, before pulling the sword through his ribcage._

_“Get back to yer cabin!” Pintel ordered. I didn’t need to be told twice. I nodded and ran back into my cabin, slamming the door behind me. I sat on my bed, going over what I had seen. The entire crew looked like skeletons. How long had they been like that and why wasn’t I told about it? A little while later, after the fighting and cannon fire had died down, there was a knock on my cabin door._

_“Come in,” I said in a quiet voice. The door opened and Pintel walked in._

_“The Captain wants t’ see ya,” he said. I nodded and followed him to the Captain’s Quarter’s. Pintel knocked on the Captain’s door and entered when he got confirmation. “Evie to see ya, Cap’n.” Barbossa waved Pintel away and the pirate quickly hurried out. I stood just inside the door, looking anywhere but at the Captain. Barbossa didn’t say anything right away and I started dreading what he was going to do to me for disobeying him. My heart was hammering in my chest so loudly I was sure he could hear it from where he stood a few feet away._

_“Evie…” He finally began._

_“I’m so sorry!” I blurted out, cutting him off. “I know I disobeyed you. I didn’t mean to, but I heard the fighting and I felt like I just had to help! I’m so so sorry! Please forgive me!”_

_“Evelyn!” Barbossa said sharply, raising his voice to be heard over my desperate rambling. I clamped my mouth shut and met his gaze, fear shining in my eyes. He walked towards me and I stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. “Yer trembling,” he noticed, placing his hands on my upper arms. “Calm yerself, lass.” I had been so focused on my thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed that I was indeed shaking. “Take deep breaths.” I did as instructed and took several deep, shuddering breaths. Barbossa waited patiently as I attempted to calm down. A few minutes later, I had stopped trembling and was breathing normally. “Ye alright, Evie?” He asked surprisingly gently. I nodded shakily. He sighed. “What were ye thinking? I told ye to stay in yer cabin at night.”_

_I closed my eyes and lowered my head in shame. “I know, but I heard fighting on deck and I couldn’t just wait patiently in my cabin knowing you could be in danger.”_

_“Ye could’ve been hurt,” Barbossa scolded._

_“I know, I’m sorry,” I said quietly._

_Barbossa sighed and went to sit at his desk. “I suppose it was only a matter of time till yer curiosity won out.” I raised my head and blinked. I had been fully expecting him to yell at me for disobeying him._

_“Aren’t you mad at me?” I asked hesitantly._

_Barbossa shook his head. “Nay. I knew ye would find out sooner or later.”_

_I furrowed my brows in confusion. “Find out what?”_

_“Best sit down, lass,” Barbossa said._

_“So...you and your whole crew are cursed?” I asked, going over the story Barbossa had just finished telling me. “And you turn into those skeletal things in the moonlight?”_

_“Aye,” Barbossa confirmed._

_“And you’ve been like this for five years?” I asked in surprise._

_“Five years of hell,” Barbossa added with a scowl._

_I nodded. The tale sounded familiar. I vaguely remembered something about cursed Aztec gold from the movies in my world. My memory of events from the movies had faded, leaving only knowledge of people and places, but no details as to how they fit into the story. “Guess I can understand why you didn’t want me on deck at night,” I mumbled. “So, all those raids have been to find all the pieces of Aztec gold?”_

_“Mostly,” Barbossa said._

_I frowned curiously. “Mostly?”_

_“The curse drives us to hoard treasure. So, in our search for the pieces of Aztec gold, we loot what we can and dump it on the island.”_

_I thought for a moment. “What it...what if I helped?”_

_Barbossa’s gaze snapped to mine, looking rather surprised at the question. “What?”_

_“What if I helped you find the rest of the Aztec gold?” I repeated. “It’s not fair that you’ve been cursed simply for taking some dead guy’s gold, it’s not like it was any use to him anyway.”_

_“Ye want to help a bunch of pirates?” Barbossa asked, frowning slightly in confusion._

_“Well, you did give me a place on your crew despite the fact that I'm a woman, and taught me how to sail and fight,” I pointed out. “The least I can do is help you break your curse.”_

_A ghost of a smile appeared on Barbossa’s lips. “It seems there is more to ya than meets the eye, Evelyn.” I blushed at the use of my full name, but smiled at the compliment all the same._

Present

“I want ya to stay on the ship when the crew goes ashore,” Barbossa told me. I huffed in annoyance. I figured he would keep me on board, he hadn’t let me off ship since my last plundering expedition.

“You can't keep me on the ship forever, you know,” I argued, crossing my arms.

“I'm the captain, I can do what I please and ye can't argue,” Barbossa retorted.

“Doesn't mean I have to like it,” I grumbled, glowering at nothing in particular.

“I’m not asking ye to like it.”

“Is it really so much to ask to go on one plundering trip?” I pleaded in exasperation.

Barbossa raised an eyebrow at me. “Evie, the last time I let you go plundering, ye got yerself shot.”

“The bullet barely grazed me,” I scoffed, though I absentmindedly raised my hand to brush against the faint scar on my upper left arm. “Besides, that was nearly six months ago. I was perfectly fine on all the trips before that.”

“This is a military port with trained soldiers, not a scum hole full of drunken pirates.”

“But-”

“The answer is still no,” Barbossa told me. I crossed my arms and let out a huff. Barbossa simply rolled his eyes at me **.** “If ya really want to help, you can go below deck and fire the guns.” That significantly lightened my mood. I grinned excitedly and rushed below deck as he told the rest of the crew to ready the guns. I loaded my chosen cannon, assisted by another crew member and awaited orders. “Fire!” I held the torch to the cannon and covered my ears.


	5. Vatican Cameos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter! Is anyone actually enjoying this?

**Abby** **POV**

I jumped and tore my concentration away from my book at the sound of cannon fire. Lizzie and I jumped out of her bed and ran to the balcony. Even through the thick fog that had gathered in the harbor, I could make out a ship firing at the fort and town. My eyes widened as I saw the ship had black sails.

“It's the ship!” She told me, her body trembling. “It's the same ship I saw 8 years ago.”

“I know, it's the _Black Pearl_ ,” I said. We both jumped as we heard someone pounding on the front door. We ran to the top of the stairs and spotted a butler going to open the door.

“Don't!” Elizabeth shouted, but it was too late. The butler opened the door and was promptly shot. I stared in horror at his fallen body as Elizabeth let out a startled scream. A hoard of pirates came streaming into the house.

“Up there!” One of them, Ragetti if I remembered correctly, shouted to his buddy Pintel, pointing to Elizabeth and me. I grabbed Elizabeth’s hand and bolted back up the stairs and into Elizabeth's room, locking the door behind us. We turned around and Elizabeth let out another startled scream as we ran into Estrella.

“They've come to kidnap you,” Estrella told us.

Elizabeth frowned in confusion. “What?”

“You're the Governor’s daughters.”

I grabbed the maid’s arm and drew her off to the side as the pirates started pounding on the door. “Estrella, they haven't seen you. You need to hide and run to the fort the first chance you get.”

“But what about you?” Estrella asked worriedly.

“We’ll have to find another way out, now go!” The maid nodded. “Come on!” I grabbed Elizabeth's hand and took off further into her room. I heard the pirates smash through the door and run after us. I quickly snatched the bed warmer from under the covers of Elizabeth’s bed and ran back to the door. I swung my new weapon and connected with Pintel’s face with a resounding clang. I swung it again at Ragetti, but he grabbed it.

“Gotcha!” He said, grinning. I smirked and pressed the lever, releasing the burning coals. Ragetti let go as he cried out in pain. “It's hot! You burned me!” I dropped my weapon and Elizabeth grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room and back down the stairs. We skidded to a halt as Ragetti jumped the railing and landed in front of us. We turned only to find Pintel grinning smugly at us. We were trapped. I mentally cursed myself for not running to get my cutlass hidden in my room. We were all distracted as another pirate came out of one of the rooms, arms ladened with jewelry. Suddenly, a cannon ball came flying through the walls and smashed into the pirate. I glanced up as I heard cracking and dragged Elizabeth out of the way of the falling chandelier, giving us just enough time to bolt into the dining room and lock the door. Elizabeth shoved a candlestick holder over the handles. I spotted a display sword on the wall and grinned. My grin quickly vanished as I went to pull one of the swords out and got the entire wall mount.

“Come on!” I growled, desperately trying to shake the sword loose. I looked up as the pirates banged on the doors. “Hide!” Elizabeth and I quickly hid in a nearby cabinet.

“We know you're ‘ere, Poppets,” Pintel called. “Come out...and we promise we won't hurt you.” It took all my willpower not to scoff. I knew better than to trust those two knuckleheads. “We will find you, Poppets. You've got something of ours, and it calls to us. The gold calls to us.” I glanced at Elizabeth as she fingered her medallion. My heart skipped a beat as a shadow fell over us. “‘Ello, Poppets.” The doors swung open and we found two swords aimed at our throats.

“Parley!” Elizabeth shouted in panic.

“What?” Pintel asked, frowning in confusion. He was probably wondering how a well bred girl such as Elizabeth knew that word.

“Parley,” she repeated. “I invoke the right of parley. According to the Code of the brethren, set down by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, you have to take us to your captain.”

“I know the code,” Pintel growled.

“Then that also means you know that if an adversary demands parley, you can't do anything to harm them until the parley is complete,” I said, following along.

“To blazes with the code,” Ragetti muttered.

“They want to be taken to the Captain,” Pintel snapped. “And they’ll go without a fuss.” He gave a warning smile and I dreaded to think what they would do if we made a fuss. “We must honor the code.” We were unceremoniously dragged out of our hiding place and hauled out of the house. The town was in chaos. Explosions went off here and there and pirates were everywhere, reeking havoc on the town and its citizens. “Come on!” Pintel shouted as he dragged Elizabeth and Ragetti hauled me along. I turned my head and spotted Will a few yards away.

“Will,” Elizabeth whispered. I saw Will mouth our names as we were dragged to the harbor. I twiddled my thumbs nervously as Elizabeth and I were rowed to the _Black Pearl_. 

“Elizabeth, when we get on board, let me do the talking, ok?” She gave me a small nod. I could tell she was scared. I placed my hand over her’s, offering what comfort I could. Though outwardly I appeared calm, it was nothing but a facade. I was scared. My heart was pounding so loudly in my chest I wondered how no one else could hear it. These were ruthless, cutthroat pirates, willing to do anything to get what they wanted and not caring who they hurt in the process. In the last five years, I had heard my fair share of tales of the _Black Pearl_ , her crew, and the man that captained her. Suffice it to say, it was taking all of my will power not to tremble. Once we reached the black ship, Pintel went up first with Elizabeth and Ragetti followed with me. I glanced around the ship as I was hauled aboard. I spotted a tall, dark figure standing by the helm and knew immediately he was Captain Barbossa, if the large feathered hat and monkey on his shoulder were anything to go by. A large African man, Bo’sun, approached us.

“I didn't know we was takin’ on captives,” Bo’sun said gruffly.

“They've encoded the right of parley with Capt’n Barbossa,” Pintel explained.

I jerked my arm from Ragetti’s grip and stepped forward. “We are here to negotiate -” My head suddenly snapped to the side as Bo’sun backhanded me. Elizabeth cried my name, struggling in Pintel’s grip. I held a hand to my reddening cheek and glared at the pirate.

“You will speak when spoken to,” Bo’sun snapped. A hand grasped Bo’sun’s wrist tightly.

“And ye’ll not lay a hand on those under the protection of parley,” Barbossa told him, his tone conveying an unspoken warning.

“Aye, sir,” Bo’sun said. Barbossa released his wrist and turned his cold blue eyes to me. I did my best not to squirm under his calculating gaze. The pirate was even more intimidating in person than on screen. He had an air of authority about him and he knew it. I honestly couldn't think what Evie had seen in him.

“Apologies, Miss,” Barbossa said, offering a smile that was by no means warm and welcoming. I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders.

“Captain Barbossa, we are here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal,” I announced, being careful to keep my voice steady.

Barbossa chuckled. “There be a lot of long words in there, Miss. We're not but humble pirates.”

“It means we're here to bargain.”

Barbossa raised a brow. “And what is it that you want?”

“I would think that would be obvious,” I said, crossing my arms. “We want you to leave and never come back.” Laughter rippled through the crew.

“I'm disinclined to acquiesce your request,” Barbossa replied. I narrowed my eyes and Elizabeth glanced at me, unsure what he meant. He smirked at our confusion. “Means no.” I straightened slightly. Time for a change in technique then.

“How about a little incentive then?” I offered. Barbossa cocked an eyebrow. I turned to my sister. “Lizzie, could I have the medallion, please?” Elizabeth gave me a confused look, but obliged, pulling the medallion from around her neck and handing it to me. As I walked to the edge of the ship, several pirates made a move to stop me. I held the medallion over the side of the ship. “Wonder what would happen if I were to ‘accidentally’ drop this?”

“Me holds are burstin’ with swag. That bit of shine matters to us?” Barbossa said, trying to sound nonchalant. His gaze sharpened. “Why?”

“It’s what you’ve been searching for, isn’t it?” Elizabeth piped up, drawing Barbossa’s attention. “I recognize this ship. I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England.”

“Did ya now?” Barbossa questioned, gazing at her curiously. I narrowed my eyes at the captain. I didn’t like his sudden interest in her.

“Whether she recognizes this ship is neither here nor there,” I said, trying to get the pirates’ attention back on me. “If this medallion is really worthless, then I don’t see any point in keeping it.” I opened my hand and let the medallion slip through my fingers a few inches.

“No!” Barbossa gasped, he and his crew surging forward a few steps. I smirked in triumph. Barbossa chuckled darkly and walked towards me. I quickly grabbed the medallion. “Ya have a name, Missy?”

“Abigail Brooks,” I replied after a moment’s hesitation. Even though they were here for the medallion, I knew it wasn’t safe to give them my adopted name. “I’m a maid in the governor’s household,” I added with a small curtsy.

Barbossa turned his icy gaze to Elizabeth. “And what about you?”

“Elizabeth...Turner,” Elizabeth answered. “Also a maid.” Barbossa’s eye widened slightly at that name.

“Miss Turner!” Barbossa repeated, turning to his crew. Murmurs spread through the pirates.

“Bootstrap!” I heard Pintel mutter to Ragetti.

“And how does a maid come to own a trinket such as that? Family heirloom, perhaps?” Barbossa inquired, his interest once again turning to Elizabeth.

“I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you mean,” Elizabeth replied coolly. Barbossa was quiet for a moment, thinking over our proposal, at least I hoped he was.

“Very well. You hand that over, we’ll put your town to our rudder and ne’er return,” he decided, holding out his hand. I narrowed my eyes, not trusting his word. I glanced at Elizabeth for her opinion and she nodded. I slowly dropped the medallion into the captain’s hand. He gave the medallion to his monkey who darted off. I watched apprehensively as our only bargaining chip disappeared.

“Our bargain?” I demanded. Barbossa turned away and nodded to Bo’sun.

“Still the guns, and stow ‘em!” Bo’sun shouted to the crew. “Signal the men, set the flags, and make good to clear port!”

“Wait!” Elizabeth shouted, hurrying after Barbossa. I rushed after her. “You have to take us to shore! According to the code of the Order of the Brethren -” Barbossa cut her off as he wheeled around.

“First. Your return to shore was not part of our negotiation nor our agreement, so I ‘must’ do nothing,” Barbossa snapped. “And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate’s code to apply, and you’re not. And thirdly...the code is more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules. Welcome aboard the _Black Pearl_ , Miss Turner.” I clenched my fists and let out a frustrated growl. Trust him to find a loophole. Barbossa jerked his head in my direction. “Take Miss Brooks back to shore.”

“Wait, what?!” I shouted as Ragetti came up behind me and grabbed my arm again. “No! I’m not leaving her! Let me go!” I struggled so hard against Ragetti’s grip, another pirate had to come over and help. The pirates only rowed me halfway back to shore before tossing me over the side and rowing back. I treaded water as I watched the black ship sail away with my sister still aboard. I cursed myself at my own stupidity as I swam back to shore. I should have known better than to make a deal with Barbossa. Dragging myself onto the beach, I began my trek back to Port Royal, hoping to find Will and my father, and maybe a way to fix this mess.


	6. He's Very Persuasive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter my friends! Enjoy!  
> Update: In trying out different chapter titles, I had to try out a quote from Lilo and Stitch. Think it kinda fits.

**Evie POV**

I walked out of my cabin the next morning, stopping just outside to stretch. I was in a pretty good mood. I enjoyed the rush I got from firing the  _ Pearl’s _ cannons. I went up to the helm where Barbossa was standing. Jack was sitting on his shoulder, chewing on a golden coin in his paws.

“I take it the raid last night was successful?” I asked, standing next to the Captain. Jack jumped off his master’s shoulder and onto mine. I reached up and stroked the monkey.

“Aye, it was,” Barbossa said. “In more ways than one.”

I gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“We just so happened to find a bit more than the last medallion.”

I put one hand on my hip. “Well, are you going to tell me what else you found or are you going to leave me in suspense?”

Barbossa smirked. “I think I like keeping ye in suspense.” I paused in my pampering of Jack to shoot him a glare and he chuckled. “Pintel and Ragetti brought two young ladies aboard and one of them went by Elizabeth Turner.”

“Turner,” I mused, trying to recall the significance of the name. Then it dawned on me and my eyes widened, a grin spreading across my face. “You’ve found Bootstrap’s child? But that means you can break the curse!”

Barbossa nodded. “Aye, that we can.”

“Bout time. Ten years is a long time to be cursed for,” I said. Jack screeched at me and I resumed scratching him.

“Yer tellin’ me,” Barbossa muttered. “Evie, I want ye to help in the galley to make a full course meal for our guest tonight.”

“I’m not the best cook, but I’ll do my best,” I said. “Suppose I should get started on that then, cause that’s going to take all day.”

**Abby POV**

I searched the town high and low for Will. I gasped when I found the blacksmith apprentice lying in the dirt. I rushed over and shook his shoulder. “Will. Will!” Will opened his eyes.

“Abby!” Will gasped, lifting his head slightly and wincing.

“Oh, thank goodness,” I sighed in relief. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Will replied as I helped him to his feet. “Where’s Elizabeth?”

“She’s gone. The pirates took her,” I told him, my eyes watering. I wasn’t sad so much as angry at myself. I had allowed Barbossa to get the better of me when I should have known better.

“Why didn’t they take you?” Will asked.

I shook my head, angrily wiping away the tears as they slipped down my cheeks. “I don’t know. I think they need her for something, but I don’t know what for.” Will pulled me to his chest, hugging me tightly.

“I’m glad you’re alright. We have to let your father know that you’re alright and tell him what happened to Elizabeth,” he said. I nodded and wiped my eyes. We raced to Fort Charles. “They’ve taken her! They’ve taken Elizabeth!” He shouted as we ran in. My father, Norrington, and Gillette were gathered around a huge map of the Caribbean, Murtogg and Mullroy stood at attention behind them.

“Abigail!” My father gasped when he spotted me. I rushed over and threw my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, father,” I assured him. “But the pirates took Elizabeth. I tried to save her, but I couldn’t do anything.” Tears rolled down my cheeks. I had felt utterly useless without my cutlass in the presence of the pirates and I hated it. My father rubbed my back soothingly.

“Mr. Murtogg, remove this man,” Norrington ordered without looking up from the map. Murtogg grabbed Will’s arm, but Will shook him off.

“We have to hunt them down! We must save her!” Will insisted.

“And where do you propose we start?” My father demanded, pausing in rubbing my back. “If you have  _ any  _ information concerning my daughter, please, share it.”

“That Jack Sparrow...he talked about the  _ Black Pearl _ ,” Murtogg spoke up.

“Mentioned it, is more what he did,” Mullroy corrected.

“Ask him where it is!” Will urged. “Make a deal with him! He can lead us to it!”

“No,” Norrington said with an annoyed sigh, still pouring over the map. “The pirates who invaded this fort left Sparrow locked in his cell. Ergo, they are not his allies. Governor, we will establish their most likely course -” I jumped as Will suddenly slammed his axe into the desk.

“That’s not good enough!” Will yelled angrily.

Norrington calmly yanked the axe out of the map and walked around the desk to Will. “Mr. Turner, you are not a military man, you are not a sailor. You are a blacksmith,” he declared. “This is not the moment for rash actions.” He put an arm around Will’s shoulders and pulled him a few feet away. “Do not make the mistake of thinking you are the only man here who cares for Elizabeth.” He then shoved the axe into Will’s arms and came back to the map. I watched as Will walked off and I knew I had to do something.

“So that’s it then?” I demanded, causing Norrington to look at me. “My sister’s out there with a bunch of pirates and the best you can do is pour over a map hoping you will be able to figure out where the pirates are going?”

“And what do you suggest we do, Miss Swann?” Norrington asked irritably, clasping his hands behind his back.

“Talk to Jack Sparrow,” I told him. Norrington rolled his eyes and sighed. “I know he’s a pirate, but he’s the best lead we’ve got. Can’t you forget the law for once? This is my sister we’re talking about!”

“Miss Swann, I suggest you go home and rest and let the rest of us deal with finding your sister,” Norrington replied. 

“If you truly loved her, you would be willing to do anything for her instead of worrying about obeying the stupid law!” I told him. I tore myself from my father’s grasp and ran after Will, ignoring my father’s call. In hindsight, I was probably a bit harsh on Norrington. I knew he loved Elizabeth and was only doing what he thought was right. I decided I would apologize to him once my sister was safe.

“Will!” I called as I spotted the blacksmith. I ran over to him and placed a hand on his arm. “We will get Elizabeth back.”

Will gave me a skeptical look. “And how are we supposed to get her back? We don’t exactly have a plan,” he argued.

“Of course we have a plan,” I told him. “We’ll go talk to Jack Sparrow, like you said.”

“And then what?” Will demanded. “Even if Sparrow did give us the location of the Black Pearl, the Commodore wouldn’t listen to us anyway.”

“I have a plan for that too.” Will frowned in his confusion. “If Sparrow knows the location of the Black Pearl, then we can make a deal with him. We’ll promise to set him free if he can take us to Elizabeth.”

“Do you think that would work?” Will inquired.

I smiled and nodded. “He’s bound for the hangman’s noose. What does he have to lose?” Will contemplated for a few moments.

“Alright,” he conceded.

“Good. You go see if Jack knows anything about the Black Pearl,” I told him. “I’ll meet you there.”

“Why, aren’t you coming with me?” The young blacksmith asked.

“I can't exactly go on a rescue mission in my night things,” I said, gesturing to the night dress I was still in which was just about ruined from my swim back to shore last night.

Will blushed and cleared his throat. “Ok, I’ll meet you in the jail.” I rushed off towards my home. I quickly changed into a poet shirt underneath a green waistcoat, pair of tan breeches, socks and shoes. I tied my hair into a low ponytail and grabbed my cutlass from under my bed, shoving it in a belt around my waist. I ran back towards the fort, making sure to stay in the shadows. I made my way down the steps of the jail. I could hear Will and Jack talking so I stopped just out of sight to listen.

“Oh, so it is that you’ve found a girl?” Jack asked with a smirk, raising himself onto his elbows. “I see. Well, if you’re intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady’s heart, you’ll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me.” I decided at that point to make my presence known.

“Well, then you're in luck, Sparrow,” I announced, stepping out of my hiding place.

Jack turned his gaze to me. “Ah, Miss Abby, we meet again.” He looked me over, seeming to appreciate my change in attire. “And what, pray tell, is a governor’s daughter doing down here?”

“Saving my sister,” I replied. “I may not have much experience with pirates, but I imagine we will have to make it worth your while for you to agree to help us. Will and I are prepared to set you free in exchange for you leading us to Elizabeth.”

“How’s that? The key’s run off,” Jack said, though it looked like I had managed to get his attention.

“I helped build these cells,” Will spoke up. “These are half pin-barrel hinges.” He walked over and grabbed a bench sitting against the wall and placed it at the bottom of the cell door. “With the right leverage and the proper application of strength, the door will lift free.”

Jack narrowed his eyes, considering Will. “What’s your name?”

“Will Turner.”

Jack nodded. “That will be short for William, I imagine,” he said nonchalantly, sitting up. “Good strong name. No doubt named for your father, eh?”

Will narrowed his eyes. “Yes.”

“Ah hah.” Jack was quiet for another moment and I wondered what was going through that head of his. “Well, Mr. Turner, I’ve changed me mind,” Jack decided, getting to his feet. “If you spring me from this cell, I swear on the pain of death, I shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass and your sister, Miss Abby.” He stuck his hand through the bars and smiled. “Do we have an accord?” Will gave Jack a suspicious look.

“Agreed,” Will finally said, shaking Jack’s hand. Jack looked at me expectantly. I reached out and firmly shook his hand.

Jack grinned. “Agreed! Get me out.” Will and I pressed down on the bench, causing the cell door to rise off its hinges and crash to the floor.

“Hurry, someone will have heard that,” Will urged.

“Not without my effects,” Jack said, stepping over the fallen door. He found his effects on a table and proceeded to strap on his belt.

“Why bother with that?” Will asked. “You could have escaped if you killed me, but you weren’t willing to use it.”

“Are you advising me that was a mistake?” Jack inquired, leveling his pistol at Will.

“Oi!” I shouted at Jack, but he ignored me.

“When you’ve only got one shot, it’s best to wait for the opportune moment...That wasn’t it.” For one terrifying moment, I was afraid Jack would go back on his word and shoot Will. However, Jack simply grinned and lowered his pistol. “Nor is this.” I stared after him as he pushed past Will and I.

“What did you mean he could have killed you?” I demanded, rounding on Will.

“I’ll tell you later,” Will said, following Jack.

Jack, Will, and I peeked our heads out from beneath a bridge. At the docks, men were busy loading various crates on the  _ Interceptor _ .

“We’re going to steal a ship?” Will asked. He followed Jack’s gaze to the  _ Dauntless _ floating by the cliffs. “That ship?”

“Commandeer,” Jack corrected. We’re going to commandeer that ship.” He gestured to the  _ Interceptor _ . “Nautical term.” Jack gave us a critical look. “One question about your business, or there’s no use going. This girl? How far are you willing to go to save her?”

“I’d die for her,” Will replied without hesitation. Jack looked at me.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to save my sister,” I said firmly. “No one messes with my family and gets away with it.”

“Oh, good,” Jack said, clearly happy with our answers. “No worries, then.”

“So, any brilliant ideas of how we’re going to  _ commandeer _ that ship?” I asked Jack.

“I’ve got one, yeah,” Jack told me with a smirk as he eyed some longboats laying on the shore. “Hope you don’t mind getting wet.”

A few minutes later, the three of us were walking on the ocean floor, using an upside down longboat to provide an air bubble.

“This is either madness, or brilliance,” Will commented from behind me.

“It’s remarkable how often those two traits coincide,” Jack said.

Once we reached where the  _ Dauntless _ was anchored, Will used the rope attached to a lobster trap he had accidentally stepped in to climb up the ship. With a bit of difficulty, I managed to haul myself over the rail of the  _ Dauntless _ , Will close behind me.

“Everybody stay calm. We’re taking over the ship!” Jack announced as we descended the stairs to the main deck.

“Aye! Avast!” Will added, brandishing his sword, a fierce look on his face. I face palmed as Jack gave Will a look of disbelief. The sailors looked at us and burst out laughing.

“This ship cannot be crewed by two men and a woman,” Gillette said with a smirk. “You’ll ever make it out of the bay.”

“Son,” Jack said, pointing his pistol at Gillette. “I’m Captain Jack Sparrow.” Jack cocked the pistol and Gillette went crossed eyed looking down the barrel. “Savvy?” Will raised his sword again, giving Gillette a pointed look. “Abby, if you would be so kind as to escort these fine gentlemen to a boat.”

I nodded. “Aye, Captain.”

Jack grinned. “Finally! Someone gets it right!”

I rolled my eyes at Jack and gestured for the sailors to walk. “Come on, boys.”

“Miss Swann, you don’t have to do this,” Gillette pleaded as his men climbed into one of the longboats. “Commodore Norrington will find your sister.”

“Yeah, and she could be dead by the time he does!” I snapped. I closed my eyes and sighed heavily. “Listen, I’m sorry about this Gillette, but my sister’s life is in danger and I’m going to do everything within my power to get her back, even if it means working with a pirate.” Gillette gave me a sympathetic look then climbed into the longboat. I walked back to Jack and Will and had to cock an eyebrow. Jack was attempting to tell Will how to prepare the sails.

“Could you hook us up with an escape route, luv?” Jack asked.

I nodded. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” I told him.

Jack smirked. “What, don’t you trust me?”

I gave him a pointed look. “Pirate,” I answered simply. I narrowed my eyes and pointed a finger warningly at him. “But know this, Sparrow, if you so much as think of betraying us, I’m going to make you wish you were back in that cell. Capisce?”

“Aye,” Jack replied, a flicker of fear flashing through his eyes. I nodded satisfied. I went and prepared three sets of rope, climbing the mast and tying them off. Once done, I went up to the helm where Jack now stood. Will came running up, looking worried.

“Here they come,” Will warned. Jack turned and smiled as he saw the  _ Interceptor  _ approaching. As soon as all the soldiers had made it off the  _ Interceptor _ and onto the  _ Dauntless _ , Jack, Will, and I swung over to the  _ Interceptor _ . Will then used his axe to cut all the rope the soldiers used to get to the  _ Dauntless _ . I had to hold back a laugh as one of the sailors tried to swing back and missed, landing with a splash in the ocean.

“Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way!” Jack shouted, waving his hat to the rapidly diminishing  _ Dauntless _ . “We’d’ve had a hard time of it by ourselves!” I ducked as the soldiers on the  _ Dauntless  _ shot at us.

“You know, Norrington is probably just going to run out the canons and sink us,” I pointed out.

Jack smirked. “I’m sure he would if I hadn’t disabled the runner chain.”

I stared at the pirate, impressed. “Hmm, I guess you did know what you were doing.”

“Was there ever any doubt?” Jack asked. I merely chuckled and shook my head.

Several hours later, we were sailing through the waves. Jack was instructing me on how to sail, showing me what needed to be put where. It was hard work, seeing how it was meant for an entire crew rather than three people, but I enjoyed it. It was exhilarating and I enjoyed the fresh air. Will was sitting nearby, sharpening his sword.

“For a man who’s made an industry of avoiding boats, you’re a quick study,” Jack commented to Will.

“I worked passage from England as a cabin boy,” Will replied. “After my mother passed, I came out here...looking for my father.” I glanced at Will. So he had noticed that Jack recognized his name.

“Is that so?” Jack inquired, not actually sounding interested as he tested a rope I had just finished tying. He gave me a nod of approval and I grinned.

Will got to his feet. “My father. William Turner?” Jack remained quiet. Seemed like Will was going to have to poke a bit more to get information from him. “At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that’s what I wanted, I didn’t press the matter. I’m not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father.”

Jack took a moment before turning to Will. “I knew ‘im,” he confirmed. “Probably one of the few who knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill.” That name got my attention. That was the name Pintel had muttered when Elizabeth said her last name was Turner.

Will furrowed his brows. “Bootstrap?”

Jack moved to the helm. “Good man. Good pirate,” he said. “I swear, you look just like him.” He pointed to another rope. “Go retie that and make sure it's tight, luv.” I nodded and moved to obey.

“It’s not true!” Will said angrily. “He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law.”

“He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag.”

Will drew his sword. “My father was _not_ a pirate!” I rolled my eyes, continuing with my task. 

Jack didn’t even bother turning around, not at all worried about the sword pointed at him. “Put it away, son. It’s not worth you getting beat again.”

“You didn’t beat me,” Will snapped. “You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I’d kill you.”

“Will, he’s a pirate,” I piped up. “Whatever gave you the impression he would fight fair?”

Jack smiled. “She’s right.” He spun the wheel, causing the sail boom to swing and slam into Will’s chest. Will dropped his sword to the deck and clung to the boom as he was swung over the water.

“Oh for heaven’s sake!” I sighed in exasperation. “Can’t you two get along for ten minutes?”

“Now as long as you’re just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these: What a man can do. And what a man can’t do,” Jack told Will, ignoring my outburst. “For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man...or you can’t. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you’ll have to square with that some day. Now me, for example, I can let you drown, but I can’t bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesy, savvy?” He turned the wheel again, bringing the boom back and Will dropped to the deck. Jack pointed his sword at Will. “So, can you sail under the command of a pirate.” Jack flipped the sword, offering it to Will. “Or can you not?”

Will slowly took the sword, considering Jack’s words. “Tortuga?”

Jack smiled. “Tortuga.” 

I cocked an eyebrow at the two, unimpressed. “Are you two done?”

Jack nodded and grinned. “Yup! We're good.” Will brushed by me and headed below deck.

“He took that better than I expected,” I commented, looking after the young blacksmith. “Though honestly, I’m slightly surprised he didn't put that together earlier.”

Jack gave me a confused look. “What d’ya mean?”

“I guessed his father was a pirate back in the jail cell,” I said.

Jack narrowed his dark eyes inquisitively. “How did you figure that out?”

“I noticed the way you seemed to recognize Will’s name, then you mentioned he was named for his father,” I explained. “The way you reacted indicated you knew his father personally, especially since you apparently knew he had a son. Since you're a pirate, the only explanation had to be his father was a pirate too.”

“He could have been a prisoner aboard my ship,” Jack pointed out.

I shook my head. “You looked like you were recalling times with a friend and I don't think pirates make a habit of forming friendships with prisoners.”

Jack gazed at me with his dark brown eyes. “You have rather good deductive skills,” he complimented, sounding impressed.

I shrugged, but smiled at the compliment. “More just observant, really.” I wandered over to the railing, resting my arms on the railing and gazed out at the vast ocean.

“You know, I couldn't help but notice you didn't seem all that concerned when I threatened you yesterday,” Jack commented as he came to stand next to me.

“Should I have been?” I inquired. “I could tell you had no intentions of actually harming me, you were just looking for a way out.” I smiled flirtatiously. “Besides, it's not every day I get held hostage by a  _ dashing _ pirate captain.”

Jack cocked an eyebrow. “Dashing, huh?” He asked with a smirk. “Not sure your father would approve of your choice in men.”

I shrugged. “Hey, I may be a lady, but I’m not blind. I don’t really fancy the upper class men with their powdered wigs and strict social class rules.”

“I was never one for rules myself,” Jack said, leaning on the rail beside me. “I’d rather be free. Free to roam the seas and do as I please.”

“Hence becoming a pirate.”

“Exactly.” We lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few moments, simply enjoying the fast ocean scenery.

“So, what’s this about you beating Will in a duel?” I asked. “Are you really that good or was it just dumb luck?”

“I beat him fair and square,” Jack declared, sounding a bit offended.

“He said you cheated,” I pointed out.

“All’s fair game when fighting for your life, luv.”

“Well, if you’re so good then, why don’t we put those skills to the test,” I suggested, drawing my cutlass.

“I don’t really think that’s such a good idea, luv,” Jack commented.

“Will trained me and I’m not so naive to think you will abide by the rules of combat.” I smirked. “Unless of course you’re too scared to fight a girl.”

“I’m not scared,” Jack protested. “That word isn’t even in me vocabulary.”

“So, come on then,” I teased, flipping my cutlass and catching it again. “Show me what the great  _ Captain _ Jack Sparrow can do.”

Jack smirked and drew his own sword. “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”


	7. So, Who's Hungry?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, new chapter! Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with this story so far. I know there are much better stories and writers out there, so it means a lot to me that you guys are reading this. I hope I've been able to keep everyone in character and that you continue to read. Enjoy!  
> Update: I'm testing out chapter titles, so this might change.

**Abby POV**

Tortuga wasn’t much to look at. Pirates were everywhere, either in a brawl, drinking, chasing a wench, or a combination of the three. The three of us walked through the dank, dirty port. I paused to watch as a couple pirates dragged a merchant for sport. I kept one hand on my cutlass, a silent threat to anyone who dared cross me. Will stuck close to me as he examined the environment with a dubious expression.

“More importantly,” Jack continued, “It is indeed a sad lot has never breathed a deep sweet proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy?” He took a deep breath. “What do you think?”

“It’ll linger,” Will decided.

“That’s the understatement of the century,” I muttered, eyeing a nearby pirate with disgust as he drank from the two rum bottles he held.

“Best stick close, luv,” Jack told me.

“I think you know from our duel earlier that I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” I stated, giving him a warning look.

“I know you can, luv,” Jack told me. “But I’d rather not attract unwanted attention by having you get into a fight because some scallywag decided to try and proposition the wrong girl.” I thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted.” A red headed wench stalked over, a murderous look on her face. Jack grinned. “Scarlett!” Scarlett didn’t reply and smacked Jack hard across the face and stalked off. The pirate frowned. “Not sure I deserved that.” He turned back as a blonde wench walked over and stood in front of him. “Giselle!”

“Who was she?” The blonde wench asked in a clipped tone.

“What?” Jack received another harsh slap. “I may have deserved that?”

“Quite the ladies man, aren’t we?” I teased, crossing my arms with a smirk.

“They're just jealous that I've found a more beautiful and far more capable woman,” he replied, causing me to blush slightly. “We should escape this wretched pit as quickly as possible.” 

“With a crew…” Will added.

“Ah yes,” Jack agreed. “Well, it just so happens that you know the man who knows the man who knows the finest sailors in all Tortuga.” Will and I exchanged confused glances. A short while later we were standing at a pig sty, staring down at a sleeping man. Jack threw a bucket of water on the man. The man, who Jack had informed us was called Joshamee Gibbs, woke sputtering.

“Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!” Gibbs shouted angrily. He recognized Jack and relaxed. “Mother’s love, Jack! You know better than to wake a man when he’s sleeping. It’s bad luck!”

“Ah, fortunately, I know how to counter it,” Jack said, kneeling in front of Gibbs. “The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it, while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking.”

Gibbs frowned, trying to figure out Jack’s proposal. He smiled after a moment and nodded. “Aye, that’ll about do it.” Jack grinned and helped Gibbs to his feet. Will and I then tossed our own buckets of water on Gibbs. “Blast it, I’m already awake!” He roared.

“That was for the smell,” Will explained. Gibbs opened his mouth to retort, reconsidered, then shrug as if to say ‘fair enough’. We made our way to a pub. Inside was a madhouse. Pirates and wenches alike lounged around. Most of the pirates were in a brawl, throwing punches and mugs of rum at each other. Jack grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way as a mug came soaring towards me, smashing into the wall near where my head had just been.

“Thanks,” I breathed, blushing ever so slightly at our sudden close proximity.

“Any time, luv,” Jack replied, winking. He headed to the bar to grab drinks for himself and Gibbs. “Keep a sharp eye!” He warned Will and I as we stood next to a pillar while he went to talk to Gibbs. My eyes scanned the pub, all the while keeping ears trained to Jack and Gibbs’s conversation.

“Now, what’s the true nature of this venture of yours?” Gibbs asked.

“I’m going after the  _ Black Pearl _ ,” Jack announced. I heard Gibbs choke on his rum. “I know where it’s going to be, and I’m going to take it.”

“Jack, it’s a fool’s errand,” Gibbs said, sounding worried. “You know better than me the tales of the  _ Black Pearl _ .”

“That’s why I know what Barbossa is up to. All I need is a crew.”

“From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa, he’s not a man to suffer fools nor strike a bargain with one,” Gibbs told Jack.

“Well, then I’d say it’s a very good thing I’m not a fool then eh?” I could practically hear Jack’s smirk.

“Prove me wrong,” Gibbs challenged. “What makes you think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?”

“Let’s just say it’s a matter of leverage, eh?” Jack replied. I glanced at Will who had his head tilted slightly, obviously listening in. He glanced at me and we shared a suspicious look. Just what was Jack up to? Unfortunately, neither one of us heard the rest of the conversation as an overweight wench came over. She had obviously had too much to drink and laughed heartily as she stumbled against Will. Will gave her a disgusted look. I rolled my eyes and shoved her off him.

“Go find someone else to flirt with, he’s taken,” I told her sternly. She sneered at me, but moved off as another pirate wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Thanks,” Will said, giving me a grateful look.

I smiled. “Any time.”

**Evelyn POV**

I wiped my brow and let out a deep sigh as I finished cooking the last of the food. I stepped back and put my hands on my hips, looking at my work with a proud smile. I turned as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

“The Capt’n was wondering when the food would be ready,” Ragetti said.

“You can tell him it’s ready,” I replied.

Ragetti nodded and headed back up the stairs. “Oh, by the way, the Capt’n wants you to join him for dinner.” I nodded. A few of the crew members came down and helped carry the food to the Captain’s cabin. I brought up one of the last dishes and placed it on the table. When I looked up, I noticed a young woman in an elegant, wine-colored dress.

“You must be Elizabeth Turner,” I commented, immediately recognizing her. I looked her up and down. She was a beautiful girl, I guessed in her very late teens or very early twenties, with long, curled blonde hair, and brown eyes. The way she held herself, straight backed and head held high, I would’ve guessed she was born into a high class family rather than simply working for one like she claimed. She was only a couple inches taller than my 5’5 frame and yet I still felt a bit intimidated by her.

“And who are you?” Elizabeth asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

“Oh, forgive me for not introducing myself. Evelyn Holmes at your service,” I said, bowing slightly and flashing a smile. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes slightly at my name, but didn’t say anything as Barbossa entered. The Captain ran his cool blue gaze over Elizabeth’s form.

“Maid or not, it suits you,” he told her, smirking. I felt a twinge in my stomach at his compliment, but ignored it.

“Dare I ask the fate of its previous owner?” Elizabeth asked icily.

Barbossa tutted. “Now, none of that.” He walked over and pulled out a chair for her. “Please.” Elizabeth hesitated before sliding into the chair. She recoiled slightly when Barbossa leaned in close. “Dig in.” I slipped into a chair on the other side of the table and started loading my plate. Elizabeth put a bit of meat on her plate, cut a tiny piece, and ate it daintily. Barbossa let out a breath as he watched her eat. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony, nor call to impress anyone,” he told her. “You must be hungry.” She paused in chewing and glanced at me as I happily munched on a turkey leg, tearing off a piece of meat. I had learned pretty quickly I didn’t have to worry too much about table manners. I gestured with the turkey leg for her to help herself. Her fork and knife clattered to the table as she dropped them and grabbed for a turkey leg. I chuckled quietly and shook my head. As Elizabeth chowed down, Barbossa watched her intently. I felt another twinge, yet once again ignored it, taking a rather large bite from my turkey leg. “Try the wine,” he said, offering her a glass. Elizabeth grabbed the glass and took a huge swig. Barbossa held up a green apple, one I knew to be his favorite fruit. “And the apples, one of those next.” Elizabeth paused in her eating, staring suspiciously at the apple in the Captain’s hand. She seemed to suddenly realize that Barbossa wasn’t eating.

“It’s poisoned!” She gasped in horror.

“I’m not that bad of a cook,” I muttered through a mouthful of bread. “I can only do so much with no recipe and limited spices and I don’t even know where we would keep the poison if we had any. The spices were such a mess it was amazing I found anything.”

Barbossa chuckled darkly. “There would be no sense to be killing you, Miss Turner.”

“Then release me,” Elizabeth demanded. “You have your trinket. I am of no further value to you!”

Barbossa pulled the medallion from inside his coat and dangled it between his fingers. “You don’t know what this is, do you?”

“It’s a pirate medallion,” Elizabeth replied coolly.

“Aztec gold, actually,” I corrected, sipping at the wine. I grimaced slightly at the faint bitter after taste. I wasn’t one for alcohol, but there wasn’t much in the way of fresh water and it was better than the rum.

“One of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Cortes himself,” Barbossa explained. “Blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wreaked upon them with his armies.” He paused for dramatic effect. I watched Elizabeth as he told his tale. I could tell she was intrigued, but she didn't believe him. “But the greed of Cortes was insatiable. So the heathen gods placed upon the gold a terrible curse. Any mortal that removes but a single piece from that stone chest shall be punished for eternity.”

“I hardly believe in ghost stories any more, Captain Barbossa,” Elizabeth replied flatly. I let out a short, dry laugh. If only she knew.

Barbossa got to his feet. “Aye! That’s exactly what I thought when we were first told the tale! Buried on an Island of the Dead what can’t be found ‘cept by those who know where it ‘tis.” He moved to stand behind Elizabeth’s chair. “Find it we did. There be the chest, inside be the gold, and we took them all. We spent ‘em and traded ‘em and fritted ‘em away...on drink and food and pleasurable company.” He leaned down close to Elizabeth. “The more we gave away, the more we came to realize...the drink would not satisfy, food turned to ash in our mouths, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake our lust,” he said in a low voice. “We are cursed men, Miss Turner. Compelled by greed we were, but now, we are consumed by it.” Jack the monkey screeched from his perch and Barbossa walked over to pet him. “There is one way we can end our curse,” he continued, Jack jumping onto his shoulder as he passed. “All the scattered pieces of the Aztec gold must be restored and the blood repaid.” He held out his arm towards me and Jack jumped off his shoulder onto my lap. I let out a quiet ‘oof’ as Jack landed and reached to scratch his head. “Thanks to ye, we have the final piece.”

Elizabeth stared at Barbossa. “And the blood to be repaid?” She asked apprehensively.

Barbossa grinned darkly. “That’s why there’s no sense to be killing you...Yet.” Elizabeth’s eyes widened in horror and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Pirates are always so dramatic. He held up the apple again. “Apple?” Suddenly, Elizabeth shot to her feet, slapped the apple out of his hand, and brandished a knife. I frowned, wondering where she had gotten it till I noticed her butter knife was missing. I watched in amusement as the young woman dashed around the room. She tried to dodge Barbossa as he chased her around his cabin. “Arr!” He growled as he poked his head around the pillar she had attempted to hide behind. She made a bolt for the door, but he grabbed her arm and swung her around. There was a sickening crunch and she jumped back from him. I stared wide-eyed at the knife now sticking out of Barbossa’s chest. Barbossa, however, was completely unaffected. He pulled the knife from his chest and watched his own blood dripping from the blade. “I’m curious, after killing me, what is it you’re planning on doing next?” Horrified, Elizabeth bolted out of the door.

“Wow, didn’t think a girl like her would be bold enough to try something like that,” I commented. I looked over to Barbossa as he tossed the bloody knife aside. “You alright?”

“Evie, ye know perfectly well I can’t feel anything,” he reminded me.

I shrugged. “True,” I agreed. “But it’s kind of hard not to ask after seeing you pull a knife from your chest.” I got to my feet and walked over, Jack moving to my shoulder. Barbossa cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing as I pulled aside his shirt just enough to inspect his wound. Luckily, the wound had already closed. I let out a huff and put my hands on my hips. “You’re lucky you can’t die or she very well would have killed you. You need to be more careful next time.”

“I can assure you, that will be the last time she dines with me. I don’t exactly make a habit of inviting young women to dine with me,” Barbossa replied. “Ye be the only exception to that.” 

“I’ve been the only woman on this ship for the last five years, Hector,” I pointed out. It wasn’t often I got to call Barbossa by his first name. In fact, I was lucky I even got to call him that. I was dining with him one night and I addressed him as Barbossa like I usually did and he told me I was allowed to call him Hector only when we were alone. I was surprised, but felt rather honored that he had allowed me to call him by his first name since no one was allowed to. Just then, I heard a high pitched scream from on deck. “Speaking of Elizabeth. Better go and make sure the crew doesn’t give her a heart attack. Her blood won’t be of much use if she dies before we get to Isla de Muerta.” I walked and stood just outside the cabin. Elizabeth ran around the deck, screaming her head off as she saw the crew, their skeletal form revealed from the moonlight. I might have actually felt sorry for her if she hadn't just tried to kill my captain. I moved aside as she came running back towards the cabin. 

Barbossa caught her roughly by the shoulders and jerked her around, forcing her to look at his skeletal crew. “Look! The moonlight shows us for what we really are! We are not among the living, and so we cannot die, but neither are we dead!” He spun her back around to face him. “For too long I have been parched of thirst, and unable to quench it! Too long, I’ve been starving to death, and haven’t died! I feel nothing...Not the wind on my face, nor the spray of the sea…nor the warmth of a woman’s flesh.” He raised a hand and reached towards Elizabeth, his hand turning skeletal as it passed into the moonlight. Elizabeth flinched away. “You’d best start believin in ghost stories, Miss Turner,” he said, slowly stepping forward into the moonlight. “You’re in one.” He grabbed a wine bottle, uncorked it with his teeth, and drank. The wine ran through his skeletal body, drenching his clothes and staining his bones. Elizabeth darted around him, back into the cabin. Barbossa hurled the bottle at the wall, shattering it, and slammed the cabin doors. He turned back to his men and laughed. The crew joined in. “What are ye looking at? Back to work!” He ordered.

I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. “You pirates and your dramatics.” I opened one of the cabin doors and went to walk in.

“Where do ya think yer goin’?” Barbossa demanded.

“There’s a whole table full of food in there that I spent most of the day on,” I told him. “I’m not about to let it go to waste.” Barbossa rolled his eyes, but didn’t stop me as I walked back into his cabin. I spotted Elizabeth cowering in a corner. She stared at me, absolutely terrified. Looking at her now, I did feel a bit sorry for the girl. She was still so young and obviously had no experience with pirates. “You’ll have to excuse Captain Barbossa,” I said, speaking softly so as not to frighten her further. “He gets pleasure out of scaring people. He still enjoys scaring me once in a while. He’s not so bad once you get to know him.” I reached down and picked up the apple she had knocked from Barbossa’s hand. “Feel free to eat. I spent practically all day preparing it, so I would hate for it to go to waste, and the crew won’t eat it considering they can’t taste anything anyway.” I took a bite of the apple. “Shame really. I think I did a rather good job.” I sighed when I noticed Elizabeth still hadn’t moved. “You can come out, you know. I’m not going to hurt you.” She didn’t look convinced, but cautiously came out from her hiding spot.

“How come you didn’t turn into one of those skeletal things?” Elizabeth asked apprehensively.

“Cause I’m not cursed,” I answered, taking another bite of apple. “They were already five years into the curse before I joined the crew.”

“How come you joined? You’re the only woman on the crew and Barbossa doesn’t seem like the type of pirate to let a woman aboard?”

“Well, he didn’t really have much of a choice,” I told her. “He found me floating in a longboat five years ago and hauled me aboard. He gave me two options, to drop me off at the nearest port or join the crew. I chose to join the crew.”

“You chose to join the crew? Why?” Elizabeth asked.

“Well, considering the other option was being dropped off at some random port, joining the crew seemed like the better choice,” I told her. “Besides, I didn’t have anyone who would miss me. All my family is dead.”

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth said quietly, her face softening.

I shook my head. “It’s fine. Honestly, joining the crew was the best thing that’s happened to me. And honestly, he and the rest of the crew seemed to enjoy having me around.

“Probably because you are a young woman,” Elizabeth said, not hiding a disgusted look. “Pirates only see women as objects.”

“Actually, I found them to be rather gentlemanly in that regard,” I told her. “In five years, I’ve never once had a problem. Now, I have no doubt that they would’ve liked to get me into bed, but it would have done them no good anyway. They wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it. Besides, I’m pretty sure Barbossa would have flayed them alive if they tried.”

Elizabeth frowned. “What do you mean?”

“He was pretty clear even before I joined the crew that there was to be no ‘funny business’, as he put it,” I explained.

Elizabeth scoffed. “A man like Barbossa was willing to protect the honor of a woman he had only just met?”

I shrugged. “True, he doesn’t seem like that kind of person, but he can be...charming when he wants to be, in his own way. He’s looked after me ever since I joined his crew. Taught me to sword fight and how to sail. Even patched me up when I got shot.”

“You were shot?” Elizabeth asked in surprise.

I nodded and took another bite of apple, wiping my chin as the juice dribbled down my chin. “Yeah. Technically speaking, the bullet only grazed me, but Barbossa hasn’t allowed me to go on a raid since and that was six months ago.” I crossed my arms and pouted. “Bit of a killjoy if you ask me, but he’s my captain so I can’t argue.” I stood straight and gestured to the table full of food. “Please, eat.”


	8. We're All Mad Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another chapter my friends! Until next time!  
> Update: testing out chapter titles

**Abby POV**

The next morning, Will and I followed Jack onto the docks where Gibbs was waiting with the new crew.

“Feast your eyes, Cap’n,” Gibbs announced, gesturing proudly at the crew he had gathered. Jack strode down the line, Will and I following behind. “All of ‘em faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt.” Jack glanced down at a particularly short sailor with a contemplative look. “And crazy to boot.”

“So  _ this  _ is your able-bodied crew?” Will asked, unimpressed.

“Haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, Will?” I asked.

“What she said,” Jack agreed. He stopped in front of an older sailor with a parrot on his shoulder. “You, sailor!”

“Cotton, sir,” Gibbs supplied.

“Mr. Cotton. Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?” Jack asked all in one breath.

“Wow!” I commented, lowkey impressed. “How long did it take you to memorize that?” Jack ignored me and waited for Cotton’s response which didn’t come.

“Mr. Cotton! Answer me!” Jack demanded.

“He’s a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out,” Gibbs told Jack. Cotton opened his mouth to show Jack his lack of tongue and the dreadlocked pirate grimaced. “So he trained the parrot to talk for him.”

I furrowed my brows in confusion. “How exactly did he manage that?”

“No one’s figured that out yet,” Gibbs answered with a shrug.

“Mr. Cotton--’s parrot. Same question,” Jack said.

“Wind in your sails! Wind in your sails!” The parrot squawked.

“Mostly, we figured that means yes,” Gibbs translated.

“Of course it does,” Jack agreed. He turned to Will. “Satisfied?”

“Well, you’ve proved they’re mad,” Will replied, still unimpressed.

“All the best people are,” I added, causing Will to give me a weird look.  **(Alice in Wonderland reference!)**

“And what’s the benefit for us?” A female voice called from the end of the line. Jack turned at the voice and the pirates murmured in agreement. Jack moved down the line and stopped in front of a sailor whose face was hidden by a hat. He reached forward and pulled off the sailor’s hat revealing a very angry Anamaria.

Jack smiled. “Anamaria.” I saw what was coming before it even happened. Anamaria slapped Jack hard across the face.

“I suppose you didn’t deserve that one, either?” Will asked sarcastically.

“No, that one I deserved,” Jack replied, Anamaria nodding in agreement.

“You stole my boat!” Anamaria yelled, glowering at Jack.

“Actually --” Jack was cut off as Anamaria smacked him harder. “Borrowed! Borrowed without permission,” he said, holding up his hands in a placating manner. “But with every intention of bringing it back.”

“But you didn’t!” Anamaria pointed out angrily.

“You’ll get another one!” Jack assured her quickly.

Anamaria held a finger in Jack’s face threateningly. “I will.”

“A better one,” Will told her.

“A better one!” Jack agreed.

“That one,” Will suggested, pointing to the  _ Interceptor _ .

Jack whirled around to face Will. “What one?” Will nodded towards the  _ Interceptor _ again. “ _ That _ one?!”

“Why not?” I asked. “You want the  _ Black Pearl _ . She can have the  _ Interceptor _ once you get your ship back. I’d say it could be the start of your own fleet, but I don’t think she would sail under you.” Jack considered my words before apparently realizing it was a good plan.

“Aye, that one!” Jack conceded. “What say you?”

“Aye!” All the sailors yelled.

“Anchors aweigh!” Cotton’s parrot called. Anamarie snatched her hat back from Jack and shoved it on her head.

“No, no, no, no. It’s frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir, let alone two,” Gibbs said nervously.

“I'm standing right here, you know,” I snapped, putting my hands on my hips and giving Gibbs a warning look.

Jack glanced at the sky. “It’ll be far worse not to have her.” He headed back to the ship while Gibbs and Will exchanged puzzled looks. I shook my head in exasperation.

**Evelyn POV**

The next morning, I stood by the helm, leaning against the railing as the ocean breeze ruffled my hair. I gazed out at the vast ocean and smiled softly. No matter how many times I saw it, I still couldn't get used to the beautiful sight.

“Apple?” I turned to see Barbossa holding out a green apple to me. I smiled and took it, taking a rather large bite. Barbossa leaned against the railing next to me, watching me eat his favorite fruit. After I had found out about the curse, he started offering me apples on occasion and would watch me eat them. When I asked why, he told me it was the only way he could get pleasure from food anymore. Eventually, it became quite a common thing for him to offer me apples and watch me eat them. At first, it had been disconcerting just having him stare at me while I ate, but I grew used to it.

“Not too long now and you won't have to simply watch me eat anymore, you'll actually be able to eat yourself,” I said.

“It's been too long already,” Barbossa grumbled. I took another bite, licking my lips as the juice threatened to dribble down my chin. We stood in silence for a while, Barbossa simply watching me eat the fruit he so longed to taste. It wasn't until I finished the apple that he spoke again. “How was our guest last night?”

“Well, you and the crew gave her quite a scare,” I told him, one corner of my lips twitching upward in amusement. “I found her cowering in a corner.” Barbossa chuckled, satisfied that he had made an impression. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, wondering if I should ask the question that had been nagging at the back of my mind, triggered by what Elizabeth said last night. “Hector, can I ask you something?”

“Ye just did,” he pointed out.

I shot the Captain a halfhearted glare. “Besides that, I mean.” He waved his hand as if to say ‘go ahead’. “Why did you offer me a place in your crew?”

Barbossa raised an eyebrow. “Ye’ve been sailing with me for nigh on five years and yer just now asking that question?”

“Well, in all honesty, I've actually been wondering that since the day I joined,” I admitted.

“So why bring it up now?” He asked.

I shrugged, crossing my arms over the railing. “I don't know, really. Just happened to come up in my conversation with Elizabeth last night.”

“What did she say that made you decide to ask?” The pirate captain inquired.

“Well, she said you didn't seem like the type to bring a woman onto your crew.”

“She be right ‘bout that,” Barbossa said. “I've never considered bringing a woman aboard me crew before you.”

I cocked my head to one side. “So what about me changed that?” I asked.

Barbossa took a moment before replying. “Well, I didn’t exactly have much of a choice to begin with.”

“True, but you still gave me the choice,” I pointed out. “Why?”

Barbossa shrugged. “I figured the men would enjoy the presence of a woman on board, should ye be willing. Give them a change o’ scenery.”

I nodded. “They did seem to enjoy watching me whenever you and I dueled.”

“Can’t really blame ‘em,” Barbossa said. “Tis not often to come across a female pirate.”

“Probably not used to seeing such a beautiful pirate either,” I added with a teasing smile.

“I daresay not,” the Captain agreed. I blushed lightly and bowed my head. “Truthfully, ye’ve made me and my crew feel more human than we have since the curse began,” he admitted. “I ne’re once regretted my decision to bring you aboard.” I smiled, touched by his honesty.

“Neither have I.” We fell into a comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other’s presence as we watched the sea.


	9. Goonies Never Say Die

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter my dudes! Enjoy!  
> Update: I'm testing out movie reference chapter titles, so this may or may not change. Idk. My other thought was "Pit of Dispair", but I thought this one fit a bit better.

**Abby POV**

Later, we found ourselves sailing in the middle of a storm. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked. The crew was thrown about as the ship rocked on the monstrous waves. Jack was at the helm, looking down at his compass and adjusting course every now and then. Will and I helped Gibbs with one of the sails. A huge wave crashed onto the deck, knocking the three of us over. Will helped me to my feet.

“How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn’t work?” Will asked Gibbs, shouting to be heard over the storm.

“Aye, the compass doesn’t point north. But we’re not trying to find north, are why?” Gibbs replied with a knowing smirk. Another wave crashed over the ship and I had to grab a rope to keep from being swept off the ship. “Lass, go tell Jack we need to drop canvas.” I nodded and carefully made my way to the helm, slipping and sliding on the slick deck.

“Jack, we won’t last much longer in this storm!” I shouted. “We need to drop canvas!”

“She can hold a bit longer,” Jack assured me.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” I asked, grabbing the railing as another wave rocked the ship.

Jack grinned. “We’re catching up!”

**Evelyn POV**

“Isla de Muerta! Isla de Muerta, off the port bow!” Twigg shouted from his place in the crow’s nest. I hurried to the railing. On the horizon, I could see a dark, ominous shape. Finally, after two days of sailing, we had reached Isla De Muerta. Gazing at the sheer, unfriendly cliffs of the cursed island, I was filled with a mixture of excitement and fear. We have been to the island multiple times in the five years I had been sailing with the cursed crew, however, I was not allowed to go ashore. Barbossa came to stand next to me, gripping the rail with both hands. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He was staring at the unholy island with barely contained loathing and the tiniest hint of fear, but who could blame him. That island was the reason he and his crew have been in a living hell for the last ten years.

Jacoby approached us. “Orders, Captain?”

“Bring her in, not too close,” Barbossa answered. “I won’t brave the reef, not until high tide. We lay anchor before dark.” Jacoby nodded and walked off to carry out his orders. “...That is, if it first doesn’t sink back to hell from where it came,” he added to himself. I glanced at him, wondering if he had meant for me to hear that. I reached over and put a comforting hand on his arm. He glanced at me and, though I knew he couldn’t feel my touch, he seemed to appreciate the gesture as he gave me a small, grateful nod. Elizabeth was brought on deck and the crew gathered round. Elizabeth stood rigged as Twigg bound her hands in front of her. Once her hands were tied, Barbossa stepped forward and clasped the medallion around her neck. I looked away, a knot forming in my stomach. I didn’t know what was wrong with me lately, but every time I saw Barbossa interact with Elizabeth I would feel a twinge in my stomach. I couldn’t figure out what was happening. The crew piled into the longboats, Elizabeth in one boat, Barbossa and I in the head boat. As we rowed towards the island, I saw a dark sea cave opening looming out of the fog. The boats glided through the calm water of the cave. The crew docked the boats inside the cave and I stood and made my way to the front of the longboat. I went to jump out, but my foot caught on the edge and I would have face planted if Barbossa hadn’t caught an arm around my waist.

I looked up at him and had to fight a blush that threatened to surface at our close proximity. “Thanks,” I breathed. Barbossa nodded and removed his arm from my waist and I found myself missing the contact. That’s when it dawned on me. The reason I kept feeling twinges in my stomach every time he interacted with Elizabeth...I was jealous. I had never felt that way before because there were no other women aboard the Black Pearl for him to interact with. But the question was, why was I jealous? I mean, I knew I liked him. I had liked him before I ever came to this world. But I liked a lot of different male characters, I was a fangirl after all. This, however, felt different. Barbossa was no longer simply a fictional character created for entertainment. He was as real as I was. Could my feelings be more than a simple fangirl crush? I decided to address my feelings later and followed Barbossa deeper into the cave. The cavern was huge. A beam of sunlight came through a hole in the roof of the cavern and shone on a large stone chest in the center of the cavern. The crew hurried into the cave behind me, dragging in chests of loot they had collected and adding it to the already overflowing piles. Elizabeth stopped beside me, taking in the enormous cavern. I patted her shoulder reassuringly and moved towards the stone chest.

**Abby POV**

I stood at the railing along with the rest of the crew, looking through the fog at all the wrecked ships as Jack carefully navigated the  _ Interceptor  _ through the ship graveyard.

“Dead men tell no tales,” Cotton’s parrot called from his perch on the bow.

“Puts a chill in the bone how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage,” Gibbs said.

“Why would any honest sailors be anywhere near here?” I asked. Gibbs opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again and shrugged as he realized I had a point.

“How is it that Jack came by that compass?” I heard Will asked Gibbs.

“Not a lot’s known about Jack Sparrow ‘fore he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of Isla de Muerta,” Gibbs answered. “That was before I’d met him, back when he was captain of the  _ Black Pearl _ .” I snapped my head to Gibbs in surprise then glanced up at Jack at the helm.

“What?” Will cast a suspicious look at Jack. Gibbs seemed to realize he’d slipped up and quickly took a swig from his flask. “He failed to mention that.”

“Well, he plays things close to the vest now,” Gibbs said, trying to cover his slip. “And a hard learned lesson it was. See three days out on the venture the first mate comes to him and says everything’s an equal share - that should mean the location of the treasure, too. So, Jack gives up the bearings.” Gibbs shook his head at Jack’s folly. “That night, there was mutiny.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “They marooned Jack on an island, and left him to die. But not before he’d gone mad with the heat.”

“Ahh. So that’s the reason for all the…” Will made a weird gesture in an imitation of Jack. I held a hand to my mouth to cover my laugh.

“Reason’s got nothing to do with it,” Gibbs said. “Now, Will, when a pirate’s marooned, he’s given a pistol with a single shot. One shot, well that won’t do much good hunting, or to be rescued. But after three weeks of a starving belly and thirst, that pistol start to look real friendly.” Gibbs mimed holding a pistol to his head. “But Jack, he escaped the island. And he still has that single shot. Oh, but he won’t use it, thought, save on one man. His mutinous first mate.”

“Barbossa,” I guessed. He seemed like the type. I never did understand what Evie saw in the guy.

Gibbs nodded. “Aye.”

“How did Jack get off the island?” Will asked.

Gibbs smiled, looking rather eager to tell another story. “Well, I’ll tell ya. He waded out into the shallows and he waited there, three days and three nights, ‘til all manner of sea creatures ‘came acclimated to his presence. Then on the fourth morning he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, lashed ‘em together and made a raft.”

Will narrowed his eyes, not quite believing Gibbs’s story. I didn’t blame him, it seemed rather far fetched, even for Jack. “He roped a couple of sea turtles,” Will repeated skeptically.

Gibbs nodded. “Aye. Sea turtles.”

“What did he use for rope?” Gibbs opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again as he realized he didn’t know. We looked around and noticed Jack standing there.

“Human hair,” he supplied. “From my back.” Gibbs smiled and nodded, clearly satisfied with that answer.

I pulled a disgusted face. “That’s a bit too much information.”

Jack shrugged. “Let go of the anchor!” He shouted to the crew. “Young Mr. Turner, Miss Swann, and I are to go ashore.” Gibbs got to his feet and walked over to Jack.

“Cap’n! What if the worst should happen?” He asked in a low voice, unaware I was within earshot.

“Keep to the code,” Jack replied.

Gibbs nodded. “Aye, the code.” I glanced at Will and saw by the look on his face he had heard Gibbs.

We rowed the longboat towards Isla de Muerta and spotted the  _ Black Pearl _ anchored just offshore. Jack pulled out his spyglass.

“Is she there?” Will asked.

“No,” Jack said.

“Where is she?”

Jack closed the spyglass with a snap. “It’s begun.” Jack continued to row the longboat into the cave. I eyed a skeleton lying face-down on a bank, a sword stuck in its back.

“What code is Gibbs to keep to, if the worst should happen?” Will asked Jack.

“Pirate’s code,” Jack explained. “Any man who falls behind is left behind.”

“No heroes amongst thieves, eh?”

“You know, for having such a bleak outlook on pirates, you’re well on your way to becoming one,” Jack commented. “Sprung a man from jail, commandeered a ship of the fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga…” Glittering in the water caught Will and I’s eyes and we leaned over the side of the boat slightly. Under the water, thousands of golden coins reflected light from the lamp Will held onto the cave walls. “And you’re completely obsessed with treasure.” I rolled my eyes as Will hopped out and pulled the boat ashore.

“That’s not true,” Will snapped. “I am not obsessed with treasure.” I rolled my eyes again and followed Jack up a ledge.

“Treasure doesn’t have to be just silver and gold, Will,” I said.

Jack gave me a pleased look. “At least someone else here has some brains.” I ignored him and looked down from the window-like portion of the cave we sat in. Pirates were gathered in the cavern below. In the middle of the cavern sat a stone chest.

“Gentlemen, the time has come!” Barbossa announced. “Our salvation is nigh! Our torment is near an end.”

“Elizabeth,” Will whispered. I followed his gaze and spotted my sister standing in front of the stone chest where Barbossa was making his grand speech. A spot of red in the dank cave drew my attention. I looked at the figure standing near the bottom of the pile of gold where Elizabeth stood and my jaw dropped as I recognized the bright, red hair.

“Evie!” I gasped. I sat frozen in shock as I saw my best friend for the first time in five years. Barbossa’s speech faded into the background as I continued to stare at my best friend. Is that where she's been the entire time, with Barbossa and his cursed crew? Was she okay? Did they hurt her at all? My eyes scanned her form, looking for any signs of abuse. From what I could see of her, she appeared fine, more than fine actually. She looked like she was thriving. Despite the cursed pirate crew cheering loudly at their Captain’s lofty speech, Evie’s posture was relaxed; hip cocked, hand resting lazily on the cutlas at her side. Her sea green eyes roamed the crowd, occasionally throwing a sympathetic glance back towards Elizabeth.

“Jack!” Will gasped, lurching forward and disturbing a pile of coins and bringing me from my inner thoughts and back to the problem at hand. Somehow I will figure out a way to get to Evie, but for now I needed to focus on getting Elizabeth out. At least now I knew that my best friend was alive and not in any immediate danger.

“Not yet!” Jack whispered harshly, grabbing Will’s arm to stop him. “We wait for the opportune moment.” He moved away back towards the boat.

“He’s right, Will,” I said. “We can’t just go charging into a cave full of bloodthirsty pirates.”

“When’s that?” Will demanded. “When it’s of greatest profit to him?”

“May I ask you something? Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?” Jack asked. “Do us a favor, I know it’s difficult for you, but please, stay here...and try not to do anything...stupid.” Jack turned his dark brown eyes to me. “That goes for you too.”

I narrowed my eyes at the pirate. “Do I look like the type of person who would do something stupid?” Jack opened his mouth to reply. “That was rhetorical.” I turned back to the problem at hand.

“And who among us has paid the blood sacrifice owed to the heathen gods?” My heart skipped a beat. They needed blood to lift the curse? I frowned as I thought. Wait, they think Elizabeth’s last name is Turner which is Will’s last name. Will’s father was a pirate usually known as Bootstrap and I remembered Pintel muttering that name when they heard the name Turner. I also remembered Elizabeth telling me that she had taken the medallion from Will the day they rescued him eight years ago. But if Will had that medallion, it must have been given to him by his father, which meant that at some point, Will’s father had sailed with the crew of the Black Pearl and had been cursed. My eyes widened as I came to a startling conclusion. It wasn't Elizabeth’s blood they needed, it was Will’s.

“Aye!” The crew shouted.

“And whose blood must yet be paid?”

The crew pointed to Elizabeth. “Hers!” Barbossa stepped up to Elizabeth.

“You know the first thing I’m going to do after the curse is lifted?” Barbossa asked. A ripple of laughter ran through the pirates. The Captain grinned and said something to Elizabeth, but I couldn’t hear what it was. It must have not been too bad as I saw Evie’s lips twitch as she tried to hide a smile. Barbossa picked up a knife from the chest and held it high. “Begun by blood, the blood undone!” I watched as he snatched the medallion from Elizabeth’s neck, grabbed her hand, and sliced her palm, pressing the medallion into the cut.

“That’s it?” Elizabeth asked incredulously.

“Waste not,” Barbossa replied with a roguish grin. He shook her wrist, causing her to drop the medallion into the chest. He stepped away from Elizabeth, closing his eyes as he anticipated the lifting of the curse. I glanced around me and suddenly noticed that Will was gone. I hurried back the way we had come nearly ran into Will as he stood over an unconscious Jack.

“Sorry, Jack. I’m not going to be your leverage,” Will growled.

“Will! What are you doing?” I demanded in a harsh whisper. Will spun around.

“I’m going to get Elizabeth,” he told me.

I gave him an incredulous look. “What about Jack?”

“He was only using us to accomplish his own ends,” Will snapped. He tossed down the oar he had used to hit Jack and walked past.

“Will, we can’t just leave him!” I protested. “They’ll kill him!” Will hesitated, but after a moment he set his jaw.

“I’m going to get Elizabeth,” he said firmly. “If you don’t want to join me, fine.” With that, he turned and walked off. I let out a low growl of frustration. We had made a deal with Jack and Will went back on it. I knelt next to the unconscious pirate, checking to make sure he was okay. Jack let out a quiet groan as he began to stir.

“Jack, you alright?” I asked in a whisper.

“Aye,” Jack replied, wincing slightly as he felt the back of his head. He paused as he seemed to realize something. “The whelp hit me!”

“I know. He’s gone to get Elizabeth,” I told him. “Patience was never one of his strong suits.” I helped Jack to his feet. “What now?”

Jack glanced around the corner at the group of pirates. “Now, we make our move.”


	10. I've Heard it Both Ways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just saw Hamilton for the first time! Now, I'm not normally one for musicals, but Hamilton is amazing! I've watched it several times over the past several days and keep getting different songs stuck in my head. I don't even really like rap as a genre. I think King George has got to be my favorite character. Anyways, that's my rant for the day. Enjoy the next chapter!

**Evelyn POV**

The entire cavern was silent as the pirates waited for the curse to be lifted. I was glad Barbossa had not killed Elizabeth, although I was a bit worried about what he would do with her now. After a few moments, the pirates glanced around at each other.

“Did it work?” Koehler asked.

“I don’t feel no different,” Ragetti said.

“How do we tell?” Pintel inquired. Barbossa sighed and rolled his eyes, pulling out his pistol and shooting Pintel in the chest. I let out a startled gasp and Pintel flinched as the bullet hit him. He looked down at his chest, still very much alive.

“You’re not dead,” Koehler noted.

“No,” Pintel laughed nervously. “He shot me!”

“It didn’t work!” Ragetti realized.

“The curse is still upon us!” Twigg bellowed.

Barbossa inspected the blood on the knife he used then turned to Elizabeth. “You. Maid. Your father. What was his name?” He shook her roughly when she didn’t answer. “Was your father William Turner?!”

“No,” Elizabeth replied, smirking. I watched the Captain warily. I could tell he was having a hard time keeping his anger in check, but who could blame him. I would be mad too if I thought I had found a way to break a ten year curse only to find out I had been lied to.

“Where’s his child?” Barbossa demanded. “The child that sailed from England eight years ago, the child in whose veins flows the blood of William Turner?! Where?” Elizabeth merely continued to smile in satisfaction. Frustrated by her lack of response, he backhanded her, sending her sprawling by the water’s edge, unconscious. He then roughly grabbed my arm. “Did you know?”

“No!” I protested, jerking my arm from his grip. “And if she had, I would have told you. I would have no reason to keep that information from you anyway, especially after all you’ve done for me!” How dare he accuse me of keeping something like that from him! I know he was angry, but I wanted him to be rid of the curse almost as much as he did.

“You two. You brought us the wrong person!” Bo’sun accused, glaring at Pintel and Ragetti.

“No, she had the medallion!” Pintel said, holding up his hands defensively. “She’s the proper age!”

“She said her name was Turner! You heard her!” Ragetti added. “I think she lied to us.” I rolled my eyes. He’s only just now realizing this?

“You brought us here for nothing?” Twigg shouted, glaring at his Captain.

“I won’t take questioning or second guesses, not from the likes of you, Mister Twigg,” Barbossa growled.

“Who’s to blame him?” Koehler challenged. “Every decision you’ve made’s led us from bad to worse!”

“It was you who sent Bootstrap to the depths!” Mallot added. I heard Jack the monkey screech and turned to look, but was distracted as Bo’sun drew his sword.

“And it’s you who brought us here in the first place,” he growled, advancing towards Barbossa.

“Any coward here dare challenge me, let him speak!” Barbossa snapped, brandishing his sword. “Hmm?” Bo’sun clenched his jaw, debating whether to challenge his Captain.

I stepped forward, moving slightly in front of Barbossa. “Gentlemen,” I began, ignoring the cocked eyebrow I received from my Captain. “What good will blaming Barbossa for your misfortunes?” The crew grumbled amongst themselves. “Elizabeth’s blood obviously didn’t work, so I suggest that instead of wasting time arguing over whose fault it is, you redirect your efforts into figuring out who Bootstrap’s real child is.”

“I say we cut her throat and spill all her blood, just in case,” Koehler suggested and the rest of the crew agreed. Jack screeched louder, finally drawing his master’s attention. He turned to where Elizabeth had landed only to find an empty space. Jack pointed towards the cavern entrance.

“The medallion! She’s taken it!” Barbossa roared. “Get after her! You feckless pack of ingrates!”

**Abby POV**

Jack and I snuck around, doing our best not to get caught by the pirates as they ran back through the cave. We rounded a corner and Jack suddenly came to a halt, causing me to bump into him. I peeked around his arm to find the crew of cursed pirates staring dumbfounded at Jack.

“You!” Ragetti gasped in disbelief.

“You’re supposed to be dead!” Pintel said.

“Am I not?” Jack asked, glancing down at himself. “Oh.” He grabbed my arm and tried to backtrack only to stop as several pistols were pointed at us. We turned back around to find even more pistols aimed our way. “Parlulay...palu-li-la-la-lulu, parlili.” I raised an eyebrow at him. What exactly was he doing? “Parsnip, parsley, par - partner…”

“Parley?” Ragetti suggested.

Jack grinned triumphantly. “Parley! That’s the one. Parley! Parley!”

“Parley?” Pintel growled, glaring at Ragetti who hung his head in shame. “Down to the depths whatever muttonhead thought up parley!”

Jack placed a ringed finger on the pistol Pintel had pointed at him, lowering it slightly. “That would be the French.”

“Bring him!” Bo’sun ordered. “And the girl.”

A few minutes later, we were brought before Captain Barbossa. Jack casually leaned against the oar Will had hit him with, seemingly unfazed that we were surrounded by the crew that had mutinied against him ten years ago.

“How the blazes did you get off that island?” Barbossa demanded, clearly not happy at seeing his former captain alive.

“When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one thing mate,” Jack said, smirking. Barbossa raised his brows questioningly. “I’m Captain Jack Sparrow.”

“Ah, well, I won't be making that same mistake again,” Barbossa replied. His cold blue gaze shifted to me. “What a coincidence seeing ya here.”

“Coincidence? Hardly,” I scoffed. I kept my expression impassive, hiding the fact that I was unnerved being surrounded by soulless pirates. “I'm the reason Jack is here.”

Barbossa raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Do tell.”

“I sprung him from jail and enlisted his help to rescue my sister,” I replied.

“Yer sister, ya say? So ye both lied about yer identities.”

“Actually, I was completely truthful about my identity apart from being a maid,” I corrected. “I’m adopted.”

“Ah, well then, that makes this easy,” Barbossa replied with a smirk. “Gents, you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow and Miss Brooks...Kill ‘em.” Jack shifted in front of me slightly as the pirates cocked their pistols.

“Abby?” I heard a small voice ask. I turned to see Evie making her way through the pirates. She stopped in her tracks when she saw me.

I smiled. “Hi, Evie. Long time, no see.” A quiet whimper was the only warning I got before she launched herself at me. I grunted as she wrapped her arms around me in a bone crushing hug.

“I was so worried I would never see you again!” She cried, burying her face in my hair.

“Evie, can't breath!” I gasped.

“Oh, sorry!” She apologized and quickly let go. She looked me over, wiping tears from her eyes. “Where have you been? What have you been doing? Are you okay? You look great!” I chuckled fondly at her rapid fire questions. I didn’t even bother to interrupt her, knowing she’d tire herself out at some point. Oh how I had missed her. Unfortunately, our reunion was interrupted as Barbossa cleared his throat. Evie cringed slightly and looked back at the unamused captain.

“I hate to interrupt yer heartfelt reunion, but my crew has a job to do,” he snapped. Evie opened her mouth to reply, but I placed a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her I would take care of it.

“Ah yes, but if I may be so bold to ask one question before we’re killed?” I inquired. “Elizabeth’s blood didn't work, did it?” Jack shot me a questioning glance. “Bootstrap,” was all I whispered.

Barbossa frowned. “Hold yer fire!” His crew begrudgingly obeyed. He stalked forward, gazing at me with calculating blue eyes. “You know whose blood we need.”

Jack smirked. “We know whose blood you need.”

Barbossa clenched his jaw, weighing his options. “Bring them!”

**(Evelyn POV**

Barbossa had Jack and Abby brought to his cabin to negotiate. Barbossa sat in his chair on one side of the table while Jack paced on the other side as he voiced his demands. Abby leaned her arms on the back of the chair on her and Jack’s side. I had been standing next to Barbossa till he slid an arm around my waist, pulling me down onto the arm of his chair after Jack had flashed me his signature smile. I did my best to hide the blush that rose to my cheeks at my Captain’s sudden possessiveness. Abby glanced at the hand Barbossa had around my waist then raised a questioning brow at me. I gave a small shrug. I had no idea why Barbossa suddenly felt the need to have me so close. I briefly wondered if it had something to do with Jack’s presence. I knew Jack was a ladies' man, but that didn’t really explain Barbossa’s actions. Maybe he was afraid Jack would somehow convince me to join his side?

“So you expect to leave me standing on some beach with nothing but a name and your word it’s the one I need and watch you sail away in my ship?” Barbossa asked Jack, giving a short laugh at the absurdity of Jack’s demands.

“No,” Jack replied. “I expect to leave you standing on some beach with absolutely no name at all, watching me sail away on  _ my  _ ship, and then I’ll have Abby shout the name back to you. Savvy?” Abby smiled at being included in the plan.

“But that still leaves us with the problem of me standing on some beach with naught but a name and your word it’s the one I need.”

“Not to mention, how do we know you’re telling the truth?” I spoke up. “How do we know that you won’t just sail away and  _ conveniently _ forget to give us the name?

“Your little friend here knows the name and you trust her, don’t you?” Jack pointed out, gesturing to Abby.

I crossed my arms with a frown. “Whether or not I trust Abby has no bearing on whether I trust you. No offence, Abby,” I added.

“None taken,” Abby replied with a wave of her hand.

“Besides, it’s not me you have to convince.” I leaned my back against Barbossa’s chair. “Give us one good reason why we should trust you.”

Jack shrugged and began picking through the bowl of apples on the table. “Of the four of us, Abby and I are the only ones who haven’t committed mutiny.”

I crossed my arms, shooting a glare at the dreadlocked pirate. “Excuse me, but I haven’t committed mutiny.”

“Ah, but you work for this scallywag….therefore my word is the one we’ll be trusting.” Jack plopped himself down in the other chair and propped his feet on the table. I felt Barbossa tighten his grip on my waist slightly and I had to fight down another blush. “Although, I suppose I should be thanking you because in fact, if you hadn’t betrayed me and left me to die, I would have an equal share in that curse, same as you.” Barbossa narrowed his eyes slightly as Jack took a bite of a green apple. “Funny ol’ world, innit?” Barbossa nodded stiffly. Jack offered some of his apple to him, but Barbossa simply glared at him. Jack then offered the apple to Abby, who took a rather large bite. I glanced at Barbossa a bit nervously. He looked ready to run them both through for having the audacity of eating his favorite fruit in front of him. Thankfully, I was spared the potential bloodbath as Bo’sun entered.

“Captain, we’re coming up on the  _ Interceptor _ ,” he announced. Jack the monkey screeched and jumped from his perch, startling the human Jack as he darted past. Barbossa got to his feet and headed for the helm, bringing me with him. In the distance, I could just make out the  _ Interceptor _ . Barbossa pulled out his spyglass to get a better view. Jack came running up to the helm and stepped in front of the spyglass.

“I’m having a thought here, Barbossa,” Jack said. “What say we run up a flag of truce? Abby and I scurry over to the  _ Interceptor _ and negotiate the return of your medallion, eh? What say you to that?”

“I think it’s a fair plan,” Abby added. “There’s no need for anyone to get hurt over a simple piece of gold.”

“Considering my crew is cursed, getting hurt isn’t exactly a problem for us,” Barbossa replied. 

“What about your lady friend?” Jack asked, gesturing to me. “I know she’s not cursed. Do you really want to risk her?” I raised an eyebrow, regarding the pirate closely. So, Jack had noticed Barbossa’s strange behavior.

Barbossa narrowed his eyes at Jack. “Evie is perfectly capable of taking care of herself,” he countered. To an untrained ear, his tone was even, but I knew him well enough to recognize the warning. Jack was treading on very thin ice. “Besides, yer crew won’t be able to cause any harm when they’re dead.” He snapped his spyglass shut. “Lock them in the brig.” Bo’sun clamped a hand on Jack’s and Abby’s shoulders. As they were led away, Barbossa grabbed the apple Abby still held, considered it for a moment, then threw it with a fury.

“Good arm,” I complimented as I watched the apple sail through one of the many holes in the canvas. 

“I believe I owe ye an apology,” he said after a quiet moment. “My reaction towards you was uncalled for.”

I cocked my head with a light shrug. “Perhaps, but you were angry about being lied to and I don't blame you.”

“But that does not excuse me accusing ye of withholding information from me,” he countered. “I've known ye for five years, and I know you wouldn't have withheld something like that from me.”

“That's true,” I agreed. “But I also know you can have a bit of a temper and tend to not think when you get angry.”

“Aye, that may be true, but it still does not excuse my actions, and I intend to make it up to ye.”

I smiled softly. “That's not necessary.”

“What if I let ye join the raid on the  _ Interceptor _ ?” Barbossa asked.

I snapped my head to stare at him. “Really?” He was actually going to let me join in a raid again?

The Captain nodded. “I think ye’ve been cooped up on this ship long enough.” A grin crept onto my face, my green eyes dancing with excitement. One corner of Barbossa’ lips twitched upward in amusement at my reaction. “So, am I forgiven?”

“Well, I would have forgiven you anyway,” I replied. “The mere fact that I actually got an apology from you was enough.”

“I can keep you on the ship then, if you prefer,” Barbossa said, smirking.

I shot him a halfhearted glare, causing the pirate lord to chuckle. “Um, no thank you. I need to see some action.” We both turned back to gaze at the  _ Interceptor _ as she grew steadily closer.

**Abby POV**

“Apparently there’s a leak,” Jack commented as Bo’sun shoved us into a cell. Jack immediately went over to peek through a hole in the hull.

“Well that went well,” I muttered sarcastically.

“Don’t worry, luv, we’ll get out of this,” Jack assured me.

I crossed my arms and cocked a brow. “And what makes you so sure?”

Jack flashed me his signature smile. “I’m Captain Jack Sparrow.”

I huffed through my nose. “Well, at least one of us is confident.” I pressed my back against the bars of the cell and slid to the floor, making a small splash in the accumulated water.

“So, how do you know little miss redhead?” Jack inquired, leaning against the hull.

“Evie? I’ve known her for almost my whole life,” I answered. “She’s my sister in all but blood.”

Jack frowned curiously. “How does that work? You’re the Governor’s daughter and she’s a pirate.”

“I wasn’t born a governor’s daughter. Governor Swann adopted me after I washed ashore in Port Royal five years ago.”

“What happened?” Jack asked.

I shrugged, going along with the story I had perfected over the years. “I don’t know. Shipwreck near as the doctors can figure. I think Evie and I were sailing to who knows where and we must have been attacked or something. Memories are still fuzzy, even after five years.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Not really,” I replied. “You learn to live with it.” Jack watched me curiously and I played with a strand of my hair self consciously. “Anyway, enough about me. Any brilliant ideas on how to get out of here?”


	11. Agressive Negotiations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this took longer than I wanted to get up. I finally started my new job so I was busy the last few days with training. I want to thank everyone who has commented and given kudos to this story! It means so much to me! Enjoy!

**Evelyn POV**

“Haul on the mainbrace, make ready the guns!” Barbossa shouted as we approached the  _ Interceptor _ . “And run out the sweeps.” I raised an eyebrow as I noticed several boxes and barrels floating past.

“Do they really think throwing a few boxes overboard will help them outrun the fastest ship in the Caribbean?” I wondered out loud.

“It’s an effort in futility,” Barbossa said with a dark chuckle. The  _ Black Pearl _ continued to gain on the  _ Interceptor _ , despite their attempts to lighten the load. I cocked my head as I noticed the  _ Interceptor’s _ starboard anchor dropped.

“What on earth?” I muttered. Barbossa didn’t say anything, but he narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, the rope went taut and the  _ Interceptor _ pivoted around the rope.

“They’re clubhaulin’!” Barbossa shouted. “Hard aport! Rack the starboard oars!” I quickly grabbed the railing to keep on my feet as the  _ Pearl _ turned sharply. Both crews started jeering each other as the ships passed. “Fire!”

**Abby POV**

I jumped as I heard cannon fire. Jack, who was still peering through the hole in the hull, suddenly turned and tackled me to the floor just as a shot blew through the hull, throwing bits of wood everywhere.

“Stop blowing holes in my ship!” Jack yelled angrily.

I cleared my throat sheepishly at our compromising position. “Uh, Jack, can you get off me please?” Jack turned and looked down at me.

“Sorry, luv,” he apologized, getting up and holding out a hand.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, trying to control the blush rising to my face. I was really glad Evie hadn’t seen that or I would have never heard then end if it.

The pirate flashed his signature smirk, showing off his golden teeth. “Anytime, luv.” Another blast rocked the ship and Jack quickly wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me from falling over. I noticed Gibbs’s flask floating in the ankle deep water and picked it up. Jack grabbed it from me and tried to take a drink, only to pout when he realized it was empty. I glanced at the cell door.

“Hey, Jack,” I called. The pirate looked at me then to the hole in the cell door’s lock I was pointing at.

**Evelyn POV**

I quickly moved aside as Pintel and Ragetti hurried past, carrying a chain-shot between them. Guns fired all around as the opposing crews shot at each other. I stayed close to Barbossa as he seemed to know where to be to avoid getting shot, not that it would do him any harm. I noticed he made sure that he stood on the side closest to the Interceptor, partially protecting me from flying bullets and debris.

“Strike your colors, ya bloomin cockroaches!” Barossa shouted as he moved through the crew as they rushed to obey his orders. “Hands! Grapnels at the ready! Prepare to board!” Pintel fired his cannon, the chain-shot flying through the air and smashing the  _ Interceptor’s _ main mast. The mast cracked and groaned as it began to fall. I jumped slightly as Barbossa slipped an arm around my waist.

“What are you doing?” I squeaked, fighting yet another blush rising to my cheeks. What was with me lately? I’ve gone from being jealous at the attention Barbossa was showing Elizabeth to blushing nearly uncontrollably when he touched me. Though, in my defense, we’ve never been that physically close before now and his sudden need to have me so close took me by surprise. I eyed the mast nervously as it came towards us. “Shouldn’t we be moving away from the giant wooden stick?”

Barbossa smirked and a glint flashed through his intelligent blue eyes. “Trust me.” He sauntered forward, bringing me with him. The crew scattered, rushing to get out of the way of the mast. I watched worriedly as the mast fell closer, yet Barbossa continued to walk forward. We stopped and I flinched slightly as the mast and sail crashed in an ‘L’ shape next to us.

I eyed the fallen mast. “Huh.”

“I told ye to trust me, Evie,” Barbossa said. He let go of my waist and I found myself once again missing the contact. “Pistols and cutlasses, men! Koehler, Twigg, to the powder magazine! And the rest of you, bring me that medallion!” He shouted to the crew. He took Jack and passed him to me. “Take Jack and find that medallion.” I nodded and set Jack on my shoulder. Before I left, Barbossa caught my arm and I turned to him with a questioning look. “Be careful.” His tone was softer than I had heard him use before. I blinked in surprise, but nodded all the same. I used the  _ Interceptor _ ’s fallen mast as a bridge, dodging bullets as I went. Almost as soon as I reached the  _ Interceptor _ , one of the opposing pirates attacked me. I quickly drew my cutlass to block his blade.

“Jack, find the medallion!” I told the monkey, ducking under another blade. Jack screeched and jumped off my shoulder, disappearing into the fray.

**Abby POV**

I followed Jack onto the deck of the  _ Black Pearl _ , ducking as bullets whizzed past my head. Climbing onto a boom, Jack caught a rope from one of the undead pirates, causing said pirate to fall to the deck with a loud thud.

“Thanks very much,” Jack said. “Hold on tight, luv.” I grabbed hold of his waist and we swung to the Interceptor. We accidentally bumped into another undead pirate, sending him into the water. The collision knocked me loose and I landed on the deck of the  _ Interceptor _ .

“Ouch!” I mumbled as I picked myself up. 

“Jack!’ Gibbs gasped as the pirate captain landed next to him. Jack took the flask from his belt and handed it to Gibbs.

“Bloody empty!” Jack moved off into the fray and I quickly followed, scanning the fight for my sister. I spotted her fighting one of the undead pirates with her musket. The pirate grabbed her arm and raised his cutlass, but Jack calmly grabbed his wrist. “That’s not very nice.” Elizabeth took the opportunity to smash the butt of her musket into the undead pirate’s face, sending him over the side. Jack grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulders and dragged her down as a fresh volley of gunfire shot past. “Where’s the medallion?”

“Wretch!” Elizabeth cried as she tried to hit him. Jack caught her wrist and noticed her bandaged hand.

“Ah, where is dear William?” Elizabeth gasped and ran off. Just then, I spotted Barbossa’s monkey, a golden coin in his paw.

“The medallion!” I shouted. Jack jerked his head to follow my gaze.

“Monkey!” He yelled and darted after the furry creature. The monkey jumped onto the fallen mast and hurried over. Jack and I scrambled after the capuchin. Jack reached out to grab the medallion just as the monkey reached the other end. Unfortunately, Barbossa had already retrieved it.

“Why thank you, Jack!” Barbossa said with a smirk.

“You’re welcome,” Jack replied with a tense smile.

“Actually, he named the monkey Jack,” a voice spoke. I turned to see Evie standing on the beam behind me, holding onto a rope to keep herself steady. I shot her a glare and she gave me an apologetic shrug. “They need it more than you do.”

“Gents, our hope is restored!” Barbossa shouted to his crew, holding the medallion high. The cursed crew cheered. Jack and I were grabbed and put with the rest of the crew. We sailed a safe distance from the  _ Interceptor _ . Barbossa stood at the rails, watching the  _ Interceptor _ and fingering the newly acquired medallion. Evie stood next to him, though she kept casting me nervous glances. Ragetti tied us to the mast while Pintel aimed his pistol at us.

“Any of you so much as thinks the word Parley, I’ll have your guts for garters,” Pintel snarled.

“I don’t think my guts would make very nice garters,” I commented. I noticed Evie lean towards Barbossa and say something, looking at him pleadingly. He glanced down at her, but I didn’t see if he answered as Elizabeth slipped out from underneath the ropes. However, she stopped dead in her tracks as the  _ Interceptor _ suddenly exploded, sending bits of wood flying everywhere.

“Will!” I heard her gasp. My eyes widened and I gazed at the destroyed ship in horror. Will was still on board? Elizabeth rushed Barbossa. “You’ve got to stop it!” She shouted, swinging her fist at him. “Stop it!” The undead captain easily caught her wrists.

“Welcome back, Miss,” he grinned darkly. “You took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now you return the favor.” He shoved her into the crew who immediately began to grab at her. I broke free of the ropes and tried to rush over to help her, but I was grabbed by a couple of pirates and held back.

“Get your grimy mitts off her!” I shouted, struggling furiously against my captors, but they ignored me.

“Barbossa!” A familiar voice yelled. We all stopped and turned to see a drenched Will standing on the railing. I grinned at the sight of my best friend, completely unharmed. He jumped down and grabbed one of our confiscated pistols and pointed it at Barbossa. “She goes free!”

“What’s in your head, boy?” Barbossa demanded, stalking towards Will.

“She goes free,” Will repeated. Barbossa stopped right in front of the pistol, unfazed.

“You’ve only got one shot and we can’t die.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Jack muttered to Will under his breath. Will glanced at Jack and darted back to the railing.

“You can’t. I can,” Will stated, placing the pistol under his chin. Elizabeth squirmed in protest.

Jack sighed. “Like that.” Barbossa glanced at Jack then back to Will.

“Who are you?” He asked, completely perplexed.

“No one,” Jack said quickly, hurrying to stand in between Barbossa and Will. “He’s no one. A distant cousin of my aunt’s nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though. Eunuch.” I rolled my eyes. He seriously expected that to work? Even I knew Barbossa was smart enough not to fall for that.

“My name is Will Turner,” Will answered. “My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His Blood runs in my veins.” Barbossa glanced at Jack, who lowered his head and walked away. It was a ballsy move, I had to give Will points for that. Unfortunately, Will didn’t have the bargaining experience that Jack or even I, brief though it was, had with Barbossa. I knew from Elizabeth and I’s experience in Port Royal that the cursed captain would exploit every loophole in any deal he made. Jack and I’s knowledge of this gave us a bit of an advantage. However, now that Will had revealed his identity, any leverage we had just went overboard. We had no bargaining chip.

“He’s the spitting image of ol’ Bootstrap Bill come back to haunt us!” Raggetti cried.

“On my word do as I say or I’ll pull this trigger, and be lost to Davy Jones’ Locker,” Will threatened. Barbosa narrowed his eyes, considering the young blacksmith.

“Name your terms, Mr. Turner,” he said.

“Elizabeth goes free!”

“Yes, we know that one,” Barbossa replied in annoyance. “Anything else?”

“Abby goes free as well,” Will added. Jack gestured fervently to himself. “And the crew, the crew are not to be harmed.” Barbossa stalked forward.

“Agreed,” he declared, showing off his stained teeth. A feeling of apprehension bubbled in my stomach. Barbossa agreed to the terms way too easily. It was impossible to tell what the older pirate had planned, but whatever it was it wasn’t good. I glanced at Evie. Her posture was tense and she was wringing her hands, her gaze shifting between her captain, Will, Elizabeth, and finally me. By the look in her green eyes, she knew just as well as I did that Barbossa was going to exploit every possible loophole and it wasn’t going to end well for us.


	12. Boy, You Got Me Helpless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bring the next chapter! I couldn't resist a Hamilton reference for my title! Please enjoy!

**Evelyn POV**

A couple hours later, we found ourselves off shore of a tiny island. Elizabeth was being prodded towards the edge of the plank by my crewmates. Jack and Abby stood off to the side, nervously waiting their turn. Barbossa was watching the whole thing, laughing darkly. I watched the scene before me sadly. I had asked Barbossa to spare the two girls. I didn’t care too much about Elizabeth, but I knew Abby would never forgive me if I saved her but not her sister. Unfortunately, he told me he was planning on honoring his word and setting Abby and Elizabeth free. Of course when making his deal, Will had failed to make sure to specify just exactly where he wanted his friends released. Barbossa being the king of finding loopholes, was taking full advantage of Will’s lapse in judgment. Will shook loose of the pirates holding him and rushed towards Barbossa.

“Barbossa, you lying bastard!” Will shouted. “You swore they’d go free!”

Barbossa snapped his head to the young boy. “Don’t dare impugn me honor, boy!” He snarled. “I agreed they’d go free, but it was you who failed to specify when or where!” He grinned and chuckled as Will was gagged. He turned back to Elizabeth and tilted his head, considering the girl. “Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don’t it lads?” The crew murmured in agreement and for a bright second, I thought he was actually going to acquiesce to my request. However, my heart sank with his next words. “So I’ll be having that dress back before you go.” Elizabeth glared at the captain and stripped of her gown. The crew wolf whistled as she was left standing in her silk slip.

“It goes with your black heart,” Elizabeth spat, throwing the dress at him.

“Oh, it’s still warm,” Barbossa commented, holding the dress to his cheek. He tossed the dress to the crew and turned to watch Elizabeth walk the plank. She moved to the end of the plank, looking apprehensively at the water below. She turned back and locked eyes with Will.

“Too long!” Bo’sun said. He slammed his foot on our end of the plank. Elizabeth let out a shriek as she was thrown off balance and toppled into the sea. The crew laughed in delight.

“I can walk by myself!” Abby snapped as she was shoved towards the plank. She glanced back at me and I knew I had to try one last time. I hurried towards Barbossa.

“Barbossa, please spare her,” I pleaded, gripping his forearm. My Captain looked down at me. “Please. She’s all I have left.” Something passed over his face, but it was gone before I could tell what it was.

“Sorry, Evie, but I gave Mr. Turner my word that I would release the girls,” he replied. I looked back to Abby who gave me a sad smile.

“I’ll be alright, Evie,” she assured me. “Jack got off the island before.”

“Ten years ago, Abby,” I pointed out, my eyes beginning to water.

“Ye of little faith,” Abby chuckled. Despite her nonchalant appearance, I knew her well enough to tell that she was scared. It was possible that Jack could get them off the island, but what were the chances of that? Her and I both knew that this could very well be the last time we saw each other. “We’ll see each other again.” She turned around and looked down at the water. Taking a deep breath, she dove off the plank as the crew cheered. It took everything I had not to burst into tears right then and there.

“I really rather hoped we were past all this,” Jack told Barbossa as he was shoved forward. Barbossa stepped up to Jack and threw an arm around his shoulders.

“Jack, Jack...Did ya not notice? That be the same little island that we made you Governor of on our last little trip,” Barbossa said, sounding very pleased with himself as he nodded towards the tiny island.

Jack gave the tiny island a wary glance. “I did notice.”

“Perhaps you’ll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape. But, despite your lady’s confidence in you, I doubt it.” Barbossa stepped back and drew his sword. “Off you go.” Jack eyed the sword point at his chest.

“Last time you left me a pistol with one shot,” Jack pointed out.

“By the powers, you’re right,” Barbossa said. “Where be Jack’s pistol? Bring it forward.” One of the crew handed the pistol to the Captain.

“Seeing as there’s two of us, a gentleman would give us a pair of pistols,” Jack said hopefully. If I wasn’t so upset at losing my best friend, I would have laughed. Jack should know better than anyone that Barbossa is far from a gentleman.

“It’ll be one pistol, as before, and you can be the gentleman, an’ shoot the lady, and starve to death yourself!” Barbossa told Jack. He tossed Jack’s pistol over the side. Jack grimaced and dove after it. The crew cheered as their former captain disappeared. “Alright, you maggots! Take the prisoners to the brig and get back to work!” The crew quickly rushed about to obey their Captain. I moved to the rail as we sailed away. In the distance, I could just make out Abby as she swam for the beach. A stray tear made its way down my cheek and I took a shaky breath. I heard footsteps approaching and I turned to walk away, not in the mood to talk to anyone. Unfortunately, I bumped into the very person I didn’t want to talk to. “Ye alright?” Barbossa asked, his brows furrowing slightly in concern as he noticed the tear.

“Oh, so now you suddenly care?” I snapped, glaring at my Captain. “You didn’t seem to care a few minutes ago when I was asking you to spare my best friend!”

“I couldn’t spare your friend, whether I wanted to or not,” he argued, glaring at me. “The crew was ready to mutiny not two hours before. I had to do something!”

“But she was my best friend!” My voice cracked as I struggled to keep the tears at bay. My fists shook at my side with the effort of keeping my emotions in check, which obviously wasn’t working very well. I had always been the more emotional one between Abby and I. He probably wasn’t going to like what I was about to say, but at this point I didn’t care. Captain or not, I wanted to make it clear to him that I did not approve of his actions. “She was the closest thing to family I had left and now she’s gone because you were afraid to lose your Captain status!” My head suddenly snapped to the side. I placed a hand to my rapidly reddening cheek and stared in shock at Barbossa who still had his hand raised.

“I’m your captain, ye do not speak to me that way!” He snarled. My eyes wide with a combination of shock and fear, I backed away a few steps before turning away and running off. I slammed the door to my cabin and collapsed on my bed, finally letting the tears flow. 

I couldn’t believe he hit me! I mean, I knew he had a bit of a temper, but until today it had never really been directed at me. Barbossa had always been surprisingly gentle with me apart from our sparring sessions, but I suspect he went easy on me in the beginning despite his claim that he wouldn’t. I had never expected him to hit me. For the first time since I began sailing with the cursed crew, I was afraid of him.. When I had first entered this world, it had never really occurred to me that I should be scared of Barbossa and his crew. I was so shocked and excited at the prospect of sailing with one of my favorite characters, that it never crossed my mind that I may know who they are, but these pirates didn’t know me. To them I was simply a young woman they found adrift at sea. It wasn’t until Barbossa had shouted to his crew that I wasn’t for their pleasure that I realized I wasn’t in a Disney movie, that my fictional world had become a reality. I stuck pretty close to either Barbossa or Pintel and Ragetti after that, at least until I learned to defend myself. As the weeks went by, I gradually warmed up to the rest of the crew, but was never as comfortable around them as the other three. Barbossa would often tease me, enjoying the way I would blush and turn away, sometimes grumbling comebacks under my breath. Eventually, I became comfortable enough to fire back with my own quips. Occasionally we would spend hours just talking and exchanging witty banter. The more time I spent with him, the more I found myself relaxing around him. Whenever we went ashore, he was usually never very far, especially after the first couple of times when some drunkards thought I was one of the tavern wenches. While his gruff and intimidating demeanor often scared off even the most inebriated of pirates, it had a more soothing effect on me. With his solid, steady presence standing next to me, calculating blue eyes scanning the room for any wretch daring enough to cause trouble, it was hard to even be unnerved in a situation I normally would have been avoided altogether. 

I heard a knock at the door and groaned, burying my face in my pillow. “Go away!” I shouted as whoever was at the door knocked again. Apparently, they didn’t take the hint and knocked a third time. I groaned again and got up to answer it. “I’m not in the mood to-” I started to say as I opened my door, expecting to see Barbossa. Instead, I found Ragetti standing there, twisting his hand nervously. I quickly wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Oh. Hi, Ragetti. Did you need something?”

The lanky pirate shook his head, eyes darting around as if he were watching for something. “No, I came to see if ya were alright,” he said. “I saw what happened on deck.” I sighed and walked back over to my bed, sitting down heavily. After standing awkwardly in the doorway for a moment, he followed me in, shutting the door behind him. He stood in front of me, looking concerned. “Ya okay?” I opened my mouth to reply. My first reaction was to tell him I was fine, but I knew better than to lie to Ragetti. For a pirate, he was surprisingly insightful.

“No, I’m not alright,” I admitted, sighing heavily. “I was hoping Barbossa would understand how much Abby meant to me and allow her to stay. I mean, he himself said Turner failed to specify when or where they were released. He could have used that as a loophole to release Abby somewhere else, though she probably wouldn’t have forgiven me for that.” I sighed again and closed my eyes, a few more tears sliding down my cheeks. “She was all I had left from my former life and I hadn’t even seen her in five years. And now, I’ll never see her again!” My voice cracked at the last word and I held back a sob. Ragetti quickly sat beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him and broke down. He didn’t say anything, simply letting me cry as he rubbed my back comfortingly. Who knew a pirate could be so mothering. After a few minutes, I had calmed down.

“I know it may not seem like it, but the Capt’n really does care fer ya,” Ragetti told me.

“Tell that to my bruised cheek,” I scoffed, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I never thought he would hit me. Though I do suppose maybe I was a bit harsh.”

“Thing is, if anyone else spoke to him like tha’, he would’ve done a lot worse.” I looked at him, a bit confused. “He has a soft spot fer ya, Evie, always has. And I can tell you feel somethin’ fer him too.”

“I don’t have feelings for him,” I denied, but the blush that rose to my cheeks said otherwise.

“If ya truly feel something fer him, ya need to tell him, Evie,” Ragetti said gently. “We may be immortal now, but we’re pirates. Once the curse is lifted, there’s no telling how long ye’ll have.” I remained quiet, musing over what he had said. It was a sobering notion, but he was right, it was rare for a pirate to die of old age. I knew I liked Barbossa, despite his earlier actions, but could it be more than that? Ragetti patted my shoulder and left me to my thoughts.

Could he really have a soft spot for me? Elizabeth was right when she said Barbossa wasn’t the kind of man to take a woman onto his crew, Barbossa himself had admitted it. And yet, he had made an exception for me. Why? I thought back to all the times we’ve spent together. He took in a strange girl with, to his knowledge, no memories and gave me a place on his crew. Not only that, but he taught me how to fight and sail. He invited me to join him for meals though he couldn’t eat and we spent hours talking about various things and exchanging banter back and forth. He protected me as I was still learning how to handle being around pirates. Whenever we docked at Tortuga, he was always nearby, and if he couldn’t be, Pintel and Ragetti followed me around like guard dogs. For goodness sake, I even got an apology off him! Why would he go through all of that if he didn’t have some sort of soft spot for me? The idea made my heart flutter, which actually startled me a bit. Five years ago, Barbossa was merely one of my many fangirl crushes, an obsession over a fictional character that had raised my expectations of any potential mate to impossible heights. Never once did it ever occur to me that I might one day end up in the world of one of my fandoms. Why would it? That sort of stuff only ever happened in fanfiction. Yet here I was, sitting in my cabin on the  _ Black Pearl _ after just having had a fight with a man I had only ever previously seen on screen. Okay, I admit, I liked Barbossa beyond the fangirl crush I had on him when I entered this world. But now to hear that my beloved Captain possibly shared my feelings, it made me wonder if my own feelings were something more. I sighed, placing my head in my hands. I wished I could have talked to Abby about these feelings. She would know what was going on.

**Abby POV**

I dragged myself onto the beach and flopped onto my back in the sand, completely exhausted. Jack followed close behind, tossing the rope that had been used to tie his hands onto the sand. He turned and stared forlornly at his ship rapidly disappearing into the distance.

“That’s the second time I’ve had to watch that man sail away with my ship,” he grumbled. He sat down on the sand beside me and pulled off his boots, dumping the water out. Elizabeth set out across the beach, probably to see how big the island was. “Ya’ll right, luv?” I looked over to see Jack gazing at me with a slightly concerned expression. I sat up with a grunt and shrugged.

“Bout as well as I can be after having been marooned,” I replied. “Still, could be worse. At least I got some nice company.”

Jack smirked. “Can’t argue ya there, luv.” I watched as Jack picked up his pistol and disassembled it, laying the parts out to dry.

“You know, I was really hoping Barbossa would have listened to Evie,” I admitted with a sigh, pulling off my shoes and socks.

“That scallywag ain’t one to be swayed by a pretty face,” Jack scoffed.

“I don’t know. He almost seemed to consider listening to her,” I recalled. “I thought for sure I saw him give her a guilty look before telling her he gave his word, brief as it may have been.”

“Trust me, that man hasn’t felt a lick of guilt in his life,” Jack grumbled. “Though I will admit, there did seem to be something going on ‘tween those two.” I hummed in agreement.

“Well, if we don’t make it off this island, at least I can say I got a taste of adventure before I died,” I sighed as I took off my waistcoat and laid it out to dry. “It can get boring stuck in the Governor's palace all day.”

“If we somehow manage to miraculously make it off this bloody island, yer welcome aboard my ship,” Jack offered. I snapped my head to him in surprise. Before I got a chance to comment, Elizabeth came back around, meeting up with her footprints. I quickly looked away from Jack and busied myself with burying my toes in the sand. “It’s really not all that big, is it?” He said, putting the pieces of his pistol back together.

“If you’re going to shoot me, please do so without delay,” Elizabeth told him bitterly.

“Is there a problem between us, Miss Swann?” Jack asked stiffly.

“You were going to tell Barbossa about Will in exchange for a ship!” Elizabeth snapped.

“That was what we told Barbossa, yes, but Lizzie, you know me well enough to know I wouldn’t let anything happen to Will,” I told her gently. “Barbossa was going to kill Jack and I unless we gave him something worthwhile. We needed a ship and he needed a name. We never actually planned on telling Barbossa about Will, just keep him on the hook long enough to give us the  _ Pearl _ . Unfortunately, Will blew that plan sky high.”

Elizabeth’s face fell. “Oh.”

“Oh,” Jack mocked. With his pistol reassembled, Jack got to his feet and held a hand out to me. I took it with a smile and he pulled me to my feet and headed inland.

“He still risked his life to save ours!” Elizabeth countered, hurrying after the pirate. Jack let out a dry laugh. “So we have to do something to rescue him!”

“Lizzie…” I said gently, trying to soothe her. I really didn’t need them fighting right now.

“Off you go, then,” Jack shot back, shooing her away. “Let me know how that turns out.”

“Jack…” I warned, but he ignored me and continued walking.

“But you were marooned on this island before, weren’t you? So we can escape in the same way you did then!” Elizabeth continued.

I grimaced, recalling the story Gibbs had told. “If you want to volunteer to pull the hair off Jack’s back to make a rope, then be my guest.”

“To what point and purpose, young missy?” Jack snapped, whirling around to face her. “The  _ Black Pearl _ is gone. And unless you have a rudder and a lot of sail hidden in that bodice…” He glanced down at her chest skeptically. “Unlikely, young Mr. Turner will be dead long before you can reach him.” He turned and spotted a tree and walked up to it. He made a few precise steps from the tree and I cocked my head at him. What was he doing? Unfortunately, Elizabeth wasn’t done yet.

“But you’re Captain Jack Sparrow! You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company! You sacked Nassau port without even firing a shot! Are you the pirate I’ve read about or not? How did you escape last time?” Jack ignored her and stopped, jumping up and down. I stepped in front of him, forcing him to look at me.

“Jack, how  _ did _ you escape last time?” I asked. Jack placed his hands on my shoulders and I had to fight a blush. He moved me back a couple of steps before sighing in resignation, causing me to frown. Why did he seem so reluctant to tell us how he escaped.

“Last time...I was here a grand total of three days. All right?” He answered in annoyance. He bent down and pulled open a trapdoor that was previously hidden under the sand. “Last time, the rum runners who used this island as a cache came by, and I was able to barter passage off.” He climbed into the pit and disappeared. “From the looks of things, they’ve long been out of business.” He came back into view, holding three bottles of rum. “Probably have your bloody friend Norrington to thank for that.”

“So that’s it, then?” Elizabeth snapped, glaring at the pirate as he climbed out of the pit. “That’s the secret grand adventure of the infamous Jack Sparrow? You spent three days lying on a beach drinking rum?”

“Welcome to the Caribbean, luv,” Jack replied with a sweep of his arms. He walked off back towards the beach. Elizabeth hurried to catch up while I followed more leisurely.

“So! Is there any truth to the other stories?” Elizabeth demanded, jumping in front of him.

Jack gave her an offended look. “Truth?” He lifted up each of his sleeves and pulled his shirt collar down slightly, revealing the scars that resided there. I winced at a particularly ragged one on his left arm. “No truth at all.” He sat down in the sand and opened his rum bottle. “We’ll stay alive a month, maybe more. Keep a weather eye open for passing ships, and our chances are fair.” I doubted his words and I could tell he did too.

“And what about Will?” Elizabeth asked. “We have to do something!”

“Lizzie, I know you want to save Will, so do I,” I told her gently. “But unless we can come up with a way to get off this island soon, there’s nothing we can do.”

Elizabeth gave me a fierce look. “I've never known you to give up so easily.”

I sighed heavily. “I don't know what to tell you, Lizzie. Maybe if we could make a signal of some kind, but there would be no guarantee that any passing ships would see it.”

“She’s right,” Jack agreed. “But I got the next best thing.” He passed one of the rum bottles to me and rolled the other one to Elizabeth. “Here’s luck to you Will Turner!” He took a huge gulp of rum from his own bottle. I glanced down at mine, shrugged, and took a gulp. I coughed a bit as the strong drink slid down my throat. “Takes a bit o’ getting used to,” he said. I looked up at Elizabeth, who still hadn’t sat down and patted the sand beside me. She sighed and plopped down with a huff.

“Drink up me hearties, yo ho…” She sang softly and took a gulp.

“What was that, Elizabeth?” Jack asked, snapping his head to her.

“It’s Miss Swann,” Elizabeth snapped. “Nothing. Just a song I learned as a child when I actually thought it would be exciting to meet a pirate.”

“Well in all honesty, our first encounter with pirates wasn’t dull,” I pointed out.

“Let’s hear it,” Jack urged.

Elizabeth shook her head. “No.”

“Come on. We’ve got the time. Let’s have it!” He pressed.

“No. I’d have to have a lot more to drink.”

Jack eyed her. “How much more?”

Hours later, the three of us were dancing around a bonfire, swinging half empty rum bottles as we sang loudly.

“We’re devils, we’re black sheep, we’re really bad eggs. Drink up me hearties, yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!” The three of us sang.

“I  _ love _ this song!” An inebriated Jack cried happily, linking arms with me and twirling us around.

“It’s the best!” I added, my words slurring a bit. I had to admit, I might have been a bit drunk. Back at my home in Port Royal, I usually only had one glass of wine during dinner. Unfortunately, 18th century rum had just a bit higher alcohol content than what I was used to.

“Really bad eggs!” Jack stumbled and fell on the beach, pulling me down with him. He reached up and pulled Elizabeth down too. “When I get the  _ Pearl _ back, I’m going to teach it to the whole crew, and we’ll sing it all the time!”

“N’ you’ll be pos-povi-potisi.” I frowned in frustration as my mouth refused to work with me. “Positively!” I grinned and raised my half empty rum bottle triumphantly. “You’ll be positively the mo’ fearsom’ pirate in the Spanish Main,” I declared.

“Not just the Spanish Main, luv. The entire ocean...the entire world,” Jack corrected. “Wherever we want to go, we go. That’s what a ship is, you know. It’s not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails. That’s what a ship needs...but what a ship is, what the  _ Black Pearl _ really is...is freedom.” I stared at him in awe. That was a really inspiring speech.

“The  _ Black Pearl _ really means alot to you, doesn’t she?” I murmured.

Jack gazed out over the ocean. “Aye. That ship is me life.”

“Sounds like a pretty nice life,” I commented wistfully.

“Better than being stuffed up in the Governor's palace all day. I get to spend my days out on the open sea, doing as I wish,” Jack said. I hummed in response. Elizabeth leaned back against him and sighed.

“Jack, it must be really terrible for you to be trapped on this island,” she said.

“Ah yes...but the company is infinitely better than last time,” Jack replied. I felt a twinge of jealousy as he wound his other arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders. I turned my head away with a scowl, missing the look of disgust on Elizabeth’s face. “And the scenery has definitely improved.” Elizabeth suddenly sat up, moving away from his arm.

“Mr. Sparrow, I’m not entirely sure I’ve had enough rum to allow that kind of talk,” she announced.

“I think I could use more,” I muttered, taking another swig of my bottle.

“I know exactly what you mean, luv,” Jack said with a smirk. He gave his moustache a little twist.

Elizabeth raised her almost empty bottle. “To freedom!”

“To the  _ Black Pearl _ !” Jack said. They clinked bottles and Jack chugged his bottle, promptly passing out.

“He’s gonna ‘ave one heck of a hangover in the morning,” I slurred, glancing down at the unconscious captain. I held my bottle up to my lips again, knowing somewhere in my fuzzy brain I was going to have a headache of my own when I woke up.

“You fancy him.” I lowered my bottle and looked at Elizabeth.

“What?”

“You fancy him,” she repeated.

I shrugged, the world swaying slightly as I jostled my head. “I admit I find him attractive, yeah.”

“Abby,” Elizabeth said softly. “I saw the way you looked at him the day he rescued me and earlier on the beach, and the way you keep defending him. Can you honestly tell me you don’t feel something for him?” I opened my mouth, but closed it again when I couldn’t come up with a reply. She was right though, I did fancy Jack. I had been waiting five years to finally meet him, but that didn’t matter.

I scowled, twirling the rum in my bottle. “Alright, I fancy him. Happy? S’not like I could pursue ‘im though. He’s a pirate n’ I don’t think father would approve of me running off with Jack.”

Elizabeth gazed at me. “Do you want to?”

“I dunno know,” I admitted. The idea of sailing the seven seas with Jack was a tempting offer to be sure, but I didn’t want to leave my sister and father behind. I sighed and took another large gulp from my bottle. I laid down, resting my head in the crook of Jack’s arm and allowing sleep to claim me.

I woke the next morning to the smell of smoke. I bolted upright and immediately regretted every decision I ever made. My head felt like someone was going at it with a jackhammer, which the bright sunlight did nothing to help. I opened my eyes once they adjusted and looked for the source of the smoke. I turned and saw a large pile of burning boxes. Next to me, Jack woke and leapt to his feet. Elizabeth threw another keg on the fire. She ducked at a small explosion, but continued.

“No! Not good!” Jack yelled. “Stop! Not good! What are you doing? You’ve burned all the food, the shade, the rum!”

“Yes, the rum is gone,” Elizabeth replied, not worried in the slightest.

“Why’s the rum gone?” Jack demanded.

Elizabeth whirled to face the pirate and even I had to take a step back at her fierce gaze. “One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire Royal Navy is out looking for Abby and I, do you really think that there’s even the  _ slightest _ chance that they won’t see it?” I had to admit, it was a good plan. Can’t believe I didn’t think of it.

“But why’s the rum gone?” Jack repeated, sounding deviestated at the loss of his beloved drink. I almost felt bad at the look on his face. He looked like someone had kicked a puppy.

Elizabeth ignored him and sat down in the sand. “Just wait, Captain Sparrow. You give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye open and you will see white sails on that horizon.” Jack was fuming. He pulled out his pistol, but quickly put it back and stalked off. I stood next to my sister, gazing out at the sea.

“Nice plan,” I complimented.

“I came up with the idea after you mentioned making a signal. I would’ve asked you to help, but you seemed a bit preoccupied sleeping off your rum,” she replied.

I rubbed my forehead where my headache still throbbed. “Sorry about that,” I apologized. “I didn’t originally intend to drink that much. I’ll need to learn to go easy in the future, assuming I even ever touch another bottle of rum.” I glanced over to where Jack was part way down the beach. “I’m going to go make sure he doesn’t waste his one shot on something stupid.” I hurried after the fuming pirate. As I got closer, I could hear him mumbling to himself.

“Must have been terrible for you to be trapped here, Jack. Must have been terrible for you,” Jack mocked in an imitation of Elizabeth. “Well, it BLOODY is now!”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t go into theatre because that was a terrible impression,” I quipped as I caught up.

“What do you want?” He snapped.

“Listen, I’m sorry about Lizzie,” I apologized. “But you have to admit it was a good plan. There’s a very slim chance someone from the Navy won’t see it.”

“But why did she have to go and burn the rum?” He whined.

“Cause it burns well?” I suggested, earning a glare from the pirate. I sighed and rubbed my still throbbing head with a wince. “I’ll see if I can get you some more rum when we get off this island.”

“Ya’ll right, luv?” Jack asked, looking concerned.

“Headache,” I grumbled. “How come you don’t have a hangover?”

“I’m used to drinking large amounts of rum, luv.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and clamped my eyes tight as my head gave a particularly painful throb. “That can’t be healthy.”.

Jack shrugged. “When ya spend as much time as I do out at sea, fresh water is rather scarce.”

I smiled. “I would like to hear about your adventures some day.”

“Why not now?” Jack asked, smirking. I pointed behind him. He turned around and his smirk fell as he spotted the white sails and a longboat headed straight for us. “There’ll be no living with her after this.”

The three of us were brought aboard the  _ Dauntless _ where Elizabeth and I were immediately enveloped in a hug from our father while Jack was flanked by Murtogg and Mullroy. My father then scolded me for running off with Will and Jack, even if it was to save my sister. Elizabeth came to my defense as she told the story of what happened. However, despite the danger Will was in, our father ordered Norrington to sail back to Port Royal.

“But we’ve got to save Will!” Elizabeth protested.

“She’s right!” I agreed. “We can’t just leave him. Plus, Evie is on that ship. I don’t want to lose my best friend again, not after I just found her.”

“NO!” Our father shouted, effectively cutting us both off. “You’re both safe now. We will return to Port Royal immediately, not go gallivanting after pirates.”

“Then we condemn him to death!” Elizabeth said angrily.

“The boy’s fate is regrettable,” our father replied, sounding at least a bit guilty. “But then, so is his decision to engage in piracy.” He turned to me. “And I know that girl is your friend, but she is a pirate now. I’m afraid you would only lose her if we pursued them.”

“She probably didn’t have a choice!” I protested angrily, though I knew he was right. Woman or not, she was a pirate and even a fair trial would end in a hanging. “And Will only engaged in piracy to save Elizabeth.” Both my father and Norrington lowered their eyes guiltily.

“If I may be so bold as to inject my professional opinion,” Jack announced, walking forward to address Norrington. “The Pearl was listing near the scuppers after the battle. It’s very unlikely she’ll be able to make good time. Think about it. The  _ Black Pearl _ ...the last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up?” I raised an eyebrow at the pirate as he smiled hopefully at Norrington. What was he planning?

“By remembering that I serve others, Mister Sparrow, not only myself,” Norrington retorted. He turned on his heel and marched towards the helm.

“Commodore, I beg you,” Elizabeth pleaded, hurrying after him. “Please do this, for me. As a wedding gift.” Everyone froze and Norrington turned to Elizabeth, shock clear on his face.

“Elizabeth...are you accepting the Commodore’s proposal?” Our father asked excitedly.

“I am,” Elizabeth answered. I stared at my sister, slack jawed. I never expected her to accept his proposal. She loved Will!

“A wedding! I love weddings! Drinks all around!” Jack exclaimed happily. He calmed down at a look from Norrington and held out his wrists. “I know. Clap him in irons, right?”

“Mister Sparrow. You will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with a bearing to Isla de Muerta,” Norrington said firmly. “You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase ‘silent as the grave.’ Do I make myself clear?”

“Inescapably,” Jack replied. Murtogg and Mullroy escorted Jack to the helm, but he winked at me as he passed, causing me to shake my head with a smirk. It was hard to believe that a pirate like Jack could be so clever.


	13. In the Eye of a Hurricane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I should probably tone back the Hamilton references? Maybe? Anyway, have fun and enjoy the next chapter. You'll be back.
> 
> I regret nothing

**Evelyn POV**

When I came out of my cabin, I made every effort to avoid Barbossa. I still wasn’t really in the mood to talk to him and Ragetti’s confession about Barbossa’s possible feelings had really thrown me off. I pushed that aside, however, and wandered down to the brig where Will and the rest of the  _ Interceptor _ ’s crew were being held. I was hoping Will would be able to fill in some information about where Abby has been the last five years. I slowly descended the stairs, making sure no one else was around. Once satisfied that I was the only one, I walked over to the cell Will was in, ignoring the rest of the crew crammed into the opposite cell.

“You’re a friend of Abby’s?” I asked, causing Will’s head to snap to me.

“What’s it to you?” He asked coolly, his dark eyes narrowing suspiciously.

I lowered my eyes. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened. I would try and persuade Barbossa to let you live, but he wouldn’t even listen to me when I asked him to spare Abby and he knew what she meant to me.”

Will knit his brows in confusion. “What do you mean? Who are you?”

“Evelyn Holmes, usually go by Evie,” I replied. “Abby and I have known each other since we were kids.”

“Evie…” Will said slowly. “Abby’s mentioned you a few times. Said you were separated in a shipwreck.”

I nodded. “Barbossa found me floating in a longboat five years ago and offered me a place on his crew.”

“You willingly joined his crew?” Will asked incredulously.

I shrugged. “I didn’t really have a choice. I don’t have any family and for all I knew, Abby was dead. There was nowhere else for me to go.” Will’s eyes softened. “Anyway, so what has Abby been doing these last five years? I heard her mention that Elizabeth was her sister.”

“Governor Swann adopted her,” Will answered.

“So she’s been living as a governor’s daughter then,” I mused. The corner of my lips twitched upward. “I bet she’s  _ loved _ that. She’s never really been high class material. Too adventuresome.”

“She did practically beg me to teach her how to fight without telling her father,” Will admitted.

I smiled and laughed softly. “That’s the Abby I know.” We lapsed into silence and I gazed at the young man in the cell. “I really wish I could do something to help,” I told him honestly. Will opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when we heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Pintel and Ragetti appeared, each carrying a bucket and mop.

“Evie!” Pintel said in surprise when he spotted me. “What are ye doin down ‘ere?”

“Avoiding Barbossa,” I replied, rubbing my arm subconsciously. Ragetti gave me a sympathetic look. I moved over to sit on a barrel as the two pirates began mopping tar onto the floor.

“Shiver me timbers!” The parrot in the cell across from Will squawked.

“Cotton here says you missed a bit,” Gibbs translated. Pintel slapped the mop against the cell, causing the others in the cell to jerk back.

“You knew William Turner?” Will asked, leaning against the bars of his cell.

Pintel paused and leaned on his mop. “Ol’ Bootstrap Bill. We knew him.” Will frowned and I leaned forward on my barrel, curious to hear the story. “Never sat well with Bootstrap, what we did to Jack Sparrow. The mutiny and all. He said it wasn’t right with the Code. That’s why he sent off a piece of the treasure to you, as it were. He said we deserved to be cursed, and remain cursed.” Will blinked, seemingly surprised by this revelation.

“Stupid blighter,” Ragetti grumbled.

“Good man,” Gibbs corrected. I cast a glance his way.

“Well, as you can imagine, that didn’t sit too well with the Captain,” Pintel continued.

“That didn’t sit too well with the Captain at all,” Ragetti said, practically giggling like a little girl. “Tell ’im what Barbossa did!”

“I’m telling the story!” Pintel growled at his companion. Ragetti lowered his head. Knowing Barbossa, I could hazard a guess what he did. “So, what the Captain did, he strapped a cannon to Bootstrap’s bootstraps.” Ragetti chuckled, repeating Pintel’s words. “And last we saw of Ol’ Bill Turner, he was sinking to the crushing black oblivion of Davy Jones’ locker. ‘Course, it was only after that we learned we needed his blood to lift the curse.”

“That’s what you call ironic,” Ragetti said. He and Pintel shared a look and laughed. I sighed and lowered my head. Figured Barbossa would do something like that. Though it made me wonder why he didn’t do something worse to me. Maybe Ragetti was right. I was roused from my thoughts as I heard more footsteps descending the stairs. I looked up to see Barbossa flanked by a few of the crew. He glanced at me and I quickly looked away, the wood of the barrel I was sitting on suddenly becoming very interesting.

“Bring him,” Barbossa ordered, throwing the key at Ragetti.

**Abby POV**

I walked towards the Captain’s Quarters where Elizabeth had gone to change out of her slip. “Lizzie?” I called, knocking on the door. “It’s me.” I heard Elizabeth give me permission to enter and I closed the door behind me. She came out from behind the changing screen, now dressed in sailor's clothes. She kept adjusting the coat, clearly uncomfortable.

“I look ridiculous,” she complained.

“Better than being in just that slip,” I told her. She sighed, knowing I was right. I walked over to the desk by the wall and patted the chair. She walked over and sat down. I began combing her hair with my fingers, separating it into three chunks. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you.”

“About what?” She asked.

“About you accepting Norrington’s proposal.” Instantly, her face fell. She quickly tried to school her features into one of indiference, but the hands clenched in her lap told me another story.

“What about it?”

“It’s just, I’m concerned about the nature of your acceptance,” I admitted, braiding her hair.

“He’s a fine man, Abby,” she replied, repeating her words from the day he proposed.

“He  _ is _ a fine man,” I agreed. “But is he someone you could spend the rest of your life with, Lizzie?”

Elizabeth turned her head to meet my gaze briefly. “What are you saying?”

I sighed. “I’m saying, would you be happy being a Commodore’s wife?” I finished braiding her hair and stood in front of her, placing a hand on her cheek. “I’ve seen the way you look at Will, Lizzie. You’ve fancied him for a long time. I just don’t want you marrying James when your heart lies elsewhere. I may not agree with his actions all the time, but James is a good man and he doesn’t deserve to be tied to a woman who will never truly love him.” She lowered her head, thinking over my words. I placed a kiss to her hair and headed for the door, pausing with my hand on the handle. “Please consider your intentions. You owe it to yourself and James.” With that, I left her to her thoughts. On deck, night had fallen. I spotted Jack leaning against the railing and walked over to join him. “I hope you have a plan for when we get to Isla de Muerta,” I told him.

“Course I do, luv,” Jack replied.

“You didn’t tell him about the curse, did you?” I asked.

“I noticed neither you nor your sister did either,” Jack pointed out. “For the same reason, I imagine.”

“Well, considering I haven’t actually experienced the curse first hand, I hardly feel like I’m the one who should tell him.”

“That’s a poor excuse, luv,” Jack told me.

I hunched my shoulders slightly. “Yes, but I want Will back as much as Lizzie does and the Commodore wouldn’t have risked the lives of his men if he knew.”

“You could have gotten him drunk,” Jack suggested flatly, indicating what happened last night.

“I had nothing to do with that,” I protested, raising a finger. “I got drunk too, if you recall. Besides, that trick wouldn’t work on him like it did you.”

“Don't get me wrong, luv. I admire a person who's willing to do whatever's necessary,” Jack assured me.

I glanced at the pirate. “Like you, you mean?”

“Peas in a pod, darling,” he replied, gesturing between us. I smiled and chuckled quietly. I immediately stopped as I heard footsteps approaching. Norrington strode over and tossed Jack’s compass back to him.

“With me, Sparrow,” he ordered, turning on his heel. Jack glanced at me before following.

“Jack!” I called. The pirate turned, giving me a questioning look. I opened and closed my mouth, unsure of what to say. There were so many things I wanted to tell him, but I don’t think they’d go down well, at least not within earshot of my father and Norrington. “Be careful,” I finally said. Jack smiled and gave me a nod.

A few minutes later, I was being shoved into the Captain’s cabin with Elizabeth.

“Sorry, but it's for your own safety!” Gillette retorted, not sounding the least bit sorry.

“I don't care what the Commodore ordered!” Elizabeth shouted. “I have to tell him – the pirates -- they're cursed! They can't be killed!” We were tossed into the cabin.

“Don't worry, miss, he's already informed of that,” Gillette said. “A little mermaid flopped up on deck and told him the whole story.” He smirked as he closed the door.

“This is Jack Sparrow's doing!” Elizabeth shouted at the door. She huffed in frustration. “We have to do something. I don't quite trust Jack to keep his word.”

“Jack will keep his word,” I assured her. “But you're right, we need to do something.” I looked around the room and picked up one of the blankets from the bed. “Help me tie these together.”

**Evelyn POV**

The crew followed Barbossa into the caves once more. There was an air of anticipation as we entered the cavern. Barbossa tossed a green apple in the air, making his way to the chest. I stayed close to Pintel and Ragetti, still not wanting to talk to my Captain. Pintel walked up behind Will who was being pushed along with his hands bound behind his back.

“No reason to fret,” Pintel assured the young man cheerfully. “Just a prick of the finger. A few drops of blood.”

“No mistakes this time. He's only half Turner. We spill it all,” Twigg growled, grabbing Will and moving him forward.

“I guess there is reason to fret,” Pintel told Ragetti. The two sniggered and moved further into the cave. I looked after Will sadly. I figured they’d kill him. They had no reason to keep him around after the curse was broken. Will was brought to the stone chest by Koehler and Twigg, the medallion dangling from his neck. I hung back, deciding to stay with the group instead of standing near Barbossa as I usually did. Barbossa grabbed the knife from the chest. The crew began to chant, eager to finally be rid of the curse.

I had mixed feelings about the whole affair. On one hand, I was glad they were finally going to be able to lift the curse they have been living with for so long. On the other hand, lifting the curse meant killing Will. Over the last several years I have killed many men. Such was the pirate life, but it was something I never really thought about. I’m afraid I would break if I did. I think I kind of view it like a video game, in a way. You can go around killing the villain's goons, but it never really bothers you because they’re not characters you get attached to. They’re just obstacles to your end goal of saving the world or collecting the treasure or finding some long lost city. But as with many video games, you meet side characters and inevitably get attached. With any luck, they’ll make it through to the end. Will was like one of those side characters you get attached to and unfortunately it looked like he wasn’t going to be making it to the end of the game.

“Excuse me. Pardon me. Beg pardon.” I turned at the familiar voice and my jaw dropped as I spotted Jack Sparrow himself making his way through the crowd. The chanting began to die down as the pirates realized he was there. Barbossa cut off in the middle of his speech as he spotted Jack.

“Jack!” Will cried in surprise.

“It's not possible,” Barbossa murmured, staring in shock at his former captain. 

“Not probable,” Jack corrected. He tried to walk up to Barbossa, but Bo’sun clamped a hand on his shoulder.

“Where's Elizabeth and Abby?!” Will demanded.

“They’re safe, just like I promised. Elizabeth's all set to marry Norrington just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we're all men of our word really, except for Elizabeth, who is in fact...a woman,” Jack answered. I smiled in relief, but quickly hid it. Abby was alive!

“Shut up! You're next!” Barbossa shouted, pointing the knife at him. He moved the knife to Will’s throat.

“You don't want to be doing that, mate,” Jack warned.

Barbossa glanced at Jack, eyes narrowed. “No, I really think I do.”

Jack shrugged. “Your funeral.” Barbossa rolled his eyes, but I could see Jack had peaked his curiosity. 

“Why don't I want to do it?” Barbossa demanded, whirling back to Jack.

“Well, because--” Jack turned and smacked Bo’sun’s hand from his shoulder. “Because the  _ H.M.S. Dauntless _ , pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore, waiting for you.” Barbossa’s eyes widened as the rest of the crew mumbled amongst themselves. Jack moved up to the stone chest. “Just hear me out, mate. You order your men to row out to the  _ Dauntless _ , they do what they do best.” Laughter rippled through the crew. “Robert's your uncle, Fannie's your aunt, there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. Of course, you'll take the grandest as your flagship, and who's to argue? But what of the  _ Pearl _ ? Name me Captain. I'll sail under your colors, I'll give you ten percent of me plunder, and you get to introduce yourself as 'Commodore Barbossa.' Savvy?”

“And I suppose in exchange, you want me not to kill the whelp?” Barbossa inquired, glancing at Will.

“No, no no, not at all. By all means, kill the whelp. Just not yet. Wait to lift the curse…until the opportune moment.” As he said this, Jack looked at Will. Will blinked, seeming to understand something. I narrowed my eyes. What was Jack planning? Barbossa seemed to sense something was off as he looked between the two suspiciously. “For instance,” Jack continued, reaching down and grabbing a handful of Aztec coins. “After you've killed Norrington's men...Every...Last...One.” Jack dropped a coin with every word. Something didn’t seem right to me. I couldn’t imagine Jack so willingly working with his enemy. Barbossa, however, considered Jack’s proposal.

“You've been planning this from the beginning. Ever since you learned my name,” Will accused Jack.

“Yeah,” Jack replied unashamedly.

“I want fifty per cent of your plunder,” Barbossa declared.

“Fifteen,” Jack countered.

“Forty.”

“Twenty-five, and I'll buy you the hat. A really big one, Commodore,” Jack bribed. Barbossa grinned and I knew Jack had him. He always had a thing for big hats.

“We have an accord,” Barbossa agreed, holding out his hand. Jack shook it, sealing the deal. They both turned back to the crew.

“All hands -- to the boats!” Jack shouted. Barbossa shot him a glare and Jack quickly backtracked. “Apologies, you give the orders.”

“Gents...take a walk!” Barbossa ordered. Jack’s grin vanished. Barbossa’s order seemed to throw him.

“Not to the boats?” Jack questioned. Barbossa didn’t reply. I glanced at Jack apprehensively. I had a really bad feeling about this deal, but there was nothing that I could do.

**Abby POV**

Elizabeth and I worked furiously to tie all the sheets together to create a rope. We looked up only for a moment at a knock at the door.

“Elizabeth? Abby?” Our father called. Neither of us answered, continuing with our task. “I just want you to know. I believe you made a very good decision today ...Couldn't be more proud of you. But, you know, even a good decision, if made for the wrong reasons ...could be a wrong decision.” We didn’t hear the rest of his words as we gathered our makeshift rope and went to the deck off the cabin. I tied one end to the rail and tossed the rest over the side. We carefully climbed down into a longboat waiting below.


	14. We've got You Four to One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Second to last chapter! We're almost there!

**Evelyn POV**

It was relatively quiet in the cavern except for Jack rooting around in the treasure. A few of the crew had stayed behind to guard Will. One stood next to him and two others were skipping rocks. Barbossa sat on one of the many piles of treasure while I stood nearby, a hand on my cutlass and keeping a close eye on Jack. I didn’t trust him one bit and I thought Barbossa would’ve known better than to trust his old adversary. The fact that Jack was here after being marooned a second time was testament to his resourcefulness even when all odds were stacked against him. There was no telling what the dreadlocked pirate had up his sleeve.

“I must admit, Jack, I thought I had you figured. But turns out, you're a hard man to predict,” Barbossa remarked, giving the other pirate an appraising look.

“Me? I'm dishonest,” Jack said, tossing aside a golden statue he had been examining. “And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly! It's the honest ones you want to watch out for. Because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.” While he was speaking, he sauntered toward Jacoby who was skipping stones across the water. In one quick move, he pulled the sword from Jacoby's scabbard, kicked him into the water, and tossed the sword to Will. Will caught the sword behind his back in his still bound hands and knocked the pirate holding him into the water. Barbossa looked from Jack to Will as he tried to understand what was going on. Jack pulled out his own sword and advanced on Barbossa. Barbossa just managed to get out his own sword in time to block Jack’s swing. I growled. I knew that no good pirate was up to something! I got to my feet, drawing my cutlass and preparing to join the battle.

“No!” Barbossa shouted at me as I moved to help him. “This is between me and Jack. Go get Turner!” I growled again, but obeyed. I ran over to where Will was fighting two of the crew at once. He knocked one to the ground and spun around, blocking my attack.

“What are you doing?” He demanded.

“I’m sorry, Will,” I apologized. “But they still need your blood.” Will and I began to duel. 

**Abby POV**

Elizabeth and I quietly climbed up the side of the  _ Black Pearl _ . We heard voices as we climbed. Apparently, the ship wasn’t completely empty. We climbed over the rail, careful not to make any noise. We began to sneak along the deck when a skeletal monkey dropped in front of us. I had to clamp a hand to my mouth to keep from screaming. Elizabeth gasped, but her expression quickly became annoyed. She grabbed the monkey and tossed him over the side. There was a bang as the monkey hit a cannon on the way down. We glanced over the rail to see the two pirates poke their heads out. We pulled back before they could see us and rushed down the stairs. We hid and the pirates raced past us. Running down to the brig, we found Gibbs and the rest of the crew.

“It's Elizabeth and Abby!” Gibbs exclaimed.

**Evelyn POV**

Will and I continued our fight, both of us evenly matched. Barbossa and Jack had moved their duel up on a ledge. I had no actual intentions of hurting Will, I just needed to keep him occupied until Barbossa needed him. Hopefully without the rest of the crew around, I could convince him to only slice Will’s hand like he did Elizabeth. Will and I glided about the cavern like a pair of dancers. It reminded me of the fight between Inigo and the Man in Black in The Princess Bride. As we fought, I was able to fully appreciate Barbossa’s teaching for the first time. Most opponents I had fought over the years were other pirates, often hardly skilled enough to be an issue. Will on the other hand, certainly knew how to handle a sword, I couldn’t deny that. Our blades flashed so quickly I had to rely on muscle memory and instinct alone. I couldn’t even use my smaller size to my advantage as Will wasn’t that much larger than me and most of my concentration was on trying to keep him from slicing my face. Just as Will brought his sword up to catch my downward swipe, I heard a choking sound and turned. To my surprise, Barbossa had a wicked grin on his face as he stared at Jack who happened to have a sword stuck in his stomach. Will and I stared in shock as Jack staggered back into one of the many patches of moonlight around the cavern. Immediately his body turned skeletal.

“That's interesting,” Jack commented. My jaw went slack as I watched Jack twirl a golden coin between his fingers. He pawned an Aztec coin! I had to grudgingly admit, it was a smart move. Jack turned back to Barbossa whose smirk had fallen. “Couldn't resist, mate.” Barbossa growled and threw a handful of coins at Jack and their duel continued. I turned back to Will with a look of exasperation. Will merely shrugged in answer. I sighed and with a shrug continued to fight. Will blocked a swing and shoved me, causing me to trip into the water. I came up sputtering. A little ways away, Jack knocked Barbossa into a wall. Barbossa swung wildly at him and gave chase.

“Sorry!” Jack called as he ran, Barbossa hot on his heels. By the time I had pulled myself out of the water Jacoby and the other two had rejoined the duel. I blocked a swing from one of the crew I could never remember the name of aimed at a preoccupied Will’s back.

“What-?” The bald pirate sputtered as I shoved his blade back.

“We just need his blood. We don’t need to kill him!” I snapped.

“We’re making no mistakes this time! We spill all his blood! And if you want to stand in the way, then we’ll spill yours too!” I was taken aback as he lunged at me and I quickly brought up my cutlas to block his attack. Sure, I wanted the crew to be rid of the curse, but if I could save Will’s life and break the curse at the same time, then I was going to try my hardest to do just that.

**Abby POV**

Elizabeth, the crew, and I waited for the two pirates to get near the edge of the ship before releasing the longboat. The boat swung and knocked the pirates off the ship. We all cheered.

“All of you! With us!” Elizabeth ordered as she and I grabbed the gunwall of the boat. “Will is in that cave, and we must save him. Ready and...Heave!” The boat didn’t move and we glanced around to see the crew had not moved. “Please, we need your help! Come on!”

“Any port! In a storm!” Cotton’s parrot squawked.

“Cotton is right. We've got the  _ Pearl _ ,” Gibbs said.

“But we can’t just leave Jack!” I protested.

“Jack owes us a ship,” Marty retorted.

“And there's the code to consider …” Gibbs added.

I stared at them. “You’re pirates!’ I shouted incredulously. “You live to break the rules! The code is more like a guideline anyway!” The pirates glanced at each other, thinking over my words.

“Bloody pirates …” Elizabeth grumbled and she and I rowed for the island, watching the  _ Black Pearl _ sail away.

**Evelyn POV**

Will and I were thrown to the ground as one of Jacoby’s bombs exploded.

“Oi! Watch where you throw those!” I shouted at him.

Jacoby ignored me and advanced on a now unarmed Will. “I'm gonna teach you the meaning of PAIN!”

“You like pain?” A familiar voice said. Jacoby turned in time to get clobbered with a pole. “Try wearing a corset.”

“Need a hand?” I glanced up to see Abby hold a hand out to me. I grinned and took it, then crushed her in a hug.

“I thought I’d lost you!” I told her.

Abby grinned. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Whose side is Jack on?” Elizabeth asked. We turned to see a skeletal Jack still engaged with Barbossa.

“At the moment?” Will shrugged. He moved to dart away, but I blocked him with my cutlass.

“What are you doing?” Abby demanded.

“I’m sorry, but Barbossa still needs Will’s blood to lift the curse,” I replied.

Abby grabbed a nearby sword and placed it over mine. “Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you take his blood.”

“Guess we’ll have to duel for it,” I decided. I twirled my blade. “Hope you know how to fight.” I swung at her and she blocked. The two of us we like ballerinas, dancing around as we fought. I brought my blade up to block a swing from her blade. “We’re still friends, right?”

“Till the end of the line,” Abby replied.

I shoved her blade away. “Aw, come on! You had to choose that line? Are you trying to make me cry?”

Abby shrugged, a playful grin on her face. “All’s fair in love and war.” We were distracted as another explosion went off and I had to duck as a bone went flying over my head. Will and Elizabeth darted by. Jack took Barbossa’s moment of distraction to cut his hand. He drove Barbossa back towards the bottom of the pile where the chest sat. Jack tossed his medallion to Will who now stood by the chest. Barbossa noticed and pulled out his pistol, aiming it at Elizabeth.

“No!” Abby shouted. A gun shot rang out, but Elizabeth remained standing. I looked to see Jack had his pistol aimed at Barbossa, the muzzle still smoking.

“Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot?” Barbossa smirked.

“He didn't waste it,” Will declared. Barbossa turned and spotted Will standing by the chest. He held his hand over the chest. Will opened his hand, dropping both Jack’s coin and his own. Barbossa dropped his sword and opened his coat and waistcoat. I watched, horrified as blood blossomed around the bullet hole in his chest. Barbossa looked at Jack.

“I feel…” Barbossa began, a serene smile gracing his face. However, his smile faded as he registered pain for the first time in ten years. “Cold.” He collapsed, the apple he had been carrying rolling from his grasp.

“No!” I screamed. I rushed forward, dropping my knee beside him. “No, please!” I tore off my coat and pressed it to his wound, trying to stem the blood flow. 

“Evie…”

“You’re going to be ok! Just stay with me!”

“Evelyn.” I looked up at my captain, tears threatening to fall. “It’s no use,” he told me softly. I shook my head frantically as I pressed a little harder against his wound.

“Shh, don’t talk. You’re going to be fine.” My voice cracked, betraying that I didn’t believe my own words. Barbossa lifted a hand, hesitating only for a moment before placing it on my cheek. I closed my eyes briefly, leaning into his touch. 

“Your skin is just as soft as I imagined it would be,” he murmured. He used his thumb to wipe away a tear that had slid down my cheek. He pulled his hand back and tugged the pendant he wore from around his neck. He set the golden pendant in my hand. I gazed at him with wide eyes.

“Hector-”

“It’s yours, he said simply, placing his large hand gently over mine. He lifted his hand to my cheek again and I quickly placed my hand over his to hold it there. I blinked tears away and attempted to swallow the lump in my throat. “Will ye look after Jack fer me?” He asked. I just nodded, not trusting my voice at the moment. Barbossa gave me a pained smile and closed his eyes. I grasped desperately at the hand on my cheek as it went slack.

“Hector,” I whispered, pleading with him to come back. “Don’t go, please. I...I love you.” But it was no use. He was gone. As I stared at my dead captain, all the tears I had been holding back started flowing, spilling down my cheeks. Blinded by despair, I stood, drawing my pistol and aiming it at the man responsible. Jack took a step back, surprised by the determined fire in my eyes. He had taken away the man I cared about and I was going to make him pay. Abby quickly placed herself between Jack and my pistol. “Get out of the way,” I snarled, angry tears still spilling down my cheeks.

“Evie, please, killing Jack isn’t going to solve anything,” Abby told me softly, holding a hand up pleadingly.

I cocked my pistol, still staring determinedly at the dreadlocked pirate hiding behind my best friend. “It’ll make me feel better."

“Will it though?” I hesitated, readjusting my grip. “You know it won’t bring him back, all you’ll be doing is hurting me.” My breath hitched, my entire body freezing. The hand holding my pistol began to shake as my resolve began to slip. No matter how much I hated Jack in that moment, I couldn’t bring myself to knowingly harm my best friend. I let my arm fall back to my side. My knees began to wobble and I collapsed next to Barbossa’s body, my pistol slipping from my hand. My shoulders shook with silent sobs as I buried my face in his chest. I didn't care about anything going on around me. My captain was gone.

**Abby POV**

I watched Evie sadly as she cried over Barbossa. I wished there was something I could do for her, but I knew that what she needed most at the moment was to be left alone.

“Will she be alright?” Jack asked, looking over top of me at the sobbing redhead. I was surprised that he was concerned at all for my friend.

“Only time will truly tell.” I glanced back at my best friend. “I've seen her after being dumped by a guy before, but she never took it this hard. She must have really loved him.”

“Well, if she put up with him for five years, she must be tough,” Jack commented. He gave Evie one last look then wandered over to one of the piles of treasure and began rooting through it. I looked back at Evie. Her fists were clenched in the dead captain’s coat, her entire body trembled as she cried silently. Jack called my name and I walked up next to him. “Turn around,” he told me.

“What for?” I inquired.

Jack gazed at me with his deep brown eyes. “Please?” I sighed and obeyed. He slipped his arms around my neck and I felt a cool metal settle against my chest. “What do you think?” My hand went to my neck and I glanced down. Around my neck was a pendant on a silver chain. The pendant was a silver sparrow with a sapphire for its eye.

I ran a thumb over the wing. “A sparrow. How fitting,” I chuckled lightly. I smiled at the dreadlocked pirate. “Thank you, Jack.”

“Anytime, luv,” he replied with a soft smile. He turned and began rooting through more of the treasure, tossing stuff that he didn't want. A little ways away, Will and Elizabeth were talking. I smiled. Maybe now they would finally confess their feelings for each other. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted as a loud bang sounded from behind me. I turned and shot Jack a glare. He shrugged apologetically as he waltzed by, covered in various treasures, complete with a crown on his head. Elizabeth walked off and Jack paused beside Will.

“If you were waiting for the opportune moment...That was it,” Jack told the young blacksmith. “Now, if you'd be so kind, I'd be much obliged if you drop me at my ship.” I cringed, but said nothing. He would find out soon. I walked over to Evie, who still hadn't moved and placed a soft hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head to look at me and my heart wrenched. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were tear stained from crying. The usually gleam in her green eyes was gone.

“We need to go,” I told her softly. Evie nodded numbly. I waited patiently as she picked up the apple that Barbossa had dropped and placed it in his hand. She reached up and closed his eyes, then placed a lingering kiss to his forehead. She gave Barbossa one last longing look before following me out. 

The five of us sat in the longboat. Jack sat at the front, looking at the area his ship should have been. I placed a hand on his arm.

“I'm sorry, Jack,” I told him.

“They done what's right by them. Can't expect more than that,” Jack said, sounding depressed. Will glanced at the pirate before continuing to row back towards the  _ Dauntless _ . As soon as we stepped aboard, Jack and Evie were immediately arrested. Evie didn't resist, merely staring numbly at her feet as she was dragged to the brig. I tried to protest, but Elizabeth and I received a stern scolding from our father and were shoved back into the Captain’s Cabin. I knew very well that Evie and Jack would be hung for piracy, but I wasn't going to let that happen without a fight. I sat down and began working on a plan.


	15. I'm Not Throwing Away My Shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter guys! Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with this story and reviewed it! I hope you all have enjoyed this story! I didn't actually think anyone was going to like it, but I was pleasantly suprised. So, enjoy the final chapter!

**Evelyn POV**

I sat quietly in my cell, my back pressed against the hull. I felt empty. I had just lost my captain and now I was headed to Port Royal to be hung. I closed my eyes, remembering all of my favorite moments with Barbossa. I remembered all the times we spent sparring as he taught me how to fight, the hours he took out of his duties to show me how to navigate, all the nights he had invited me to dine with him. I recalled all the times we teased each other, the quiet moments we spent just staring out at the sea. A lone tear slid down my cheek. I hadn't realized til now just how much Barbossa had meant to me, and now I would never get the chance to tell him. I opened my eyes and stared down at the golden pendant Barbossa had gifted me. It was beautiful, an intricate oval with a small ruby in the middle, a snake wrapped around the entire thing, the head creating a loop at the top for the chain to hook through. I caressed the snake’s head with my thumb.

“I'm sorry about Barbossa.” I raised my eyes to Jack who was in the cell across from me.

“What?” I croaked. I cringed inwardly. My voice sounded rough and I’m sure my eyes were red and puffy from crying.

“I'm sorry about killing Barbossa,” Jack repeated. “But it had to be done.”

I scoffed. “You didn't  _ have _ to do anything. You wanted to kill him.”

The corner of his lips twitched in a halfhearted smile. “Ya got me there. Been waiting ten years to shoot that scoundrel.” I shot him a glare and he winced. “Sorry.” He grew solemn again. “It wasn't hard to see he meant a lot to ya.”

“Yeah,” I sighed, leaning my head back against the hull. “I wished I had been smart enough to realize that earlier. Then again, I probably wouldn’t have been brave enough to tell him anyway.”

“I thought for sure you were going to kill me,” Jack admitted.

“I probably would have if it weren’t for Abby,” I confessed. “As much as I may hate you, I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her.”

“How exactly would killing me hurt her?”

I shot him a deadpanned look. “Boy you’re thick.” Jack’s only response was a raised eyebrow. “She fancies you, idiot. Even a blind person could see that. Mind you, her taste in men leaves a lot to be desired.” Jack gave me an offended look. “But after losing my chance, I wasn’t going to be the one to deprive her of her’s, no matter how much I hate the object of her affections.”

“Well, her taste in men is admittedly better than yours,” Jack shot back, though there was no real heat to his words.

I sighed heavily. “I suppose it doesn’t really matter now. Barbossa’s dead and we’re both headed to the gallows. Not exactly how I pictured my life turning out.”

“One’s life rarely turns out how one might expect. But therein lies the adventure, don’t it? Imagine how boring life would be if everything always went according to plan.” It was surprising to hear such words of wisdom coming from a man like Sparrow. I leaned back against the hull, caressing Barbossa’s pendant as we lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

**Abby POV**

Drums sounded as the execution began. I was standing between my father and Elizabeth as we watched the proceedings. Jack stood under the noose while Evie waited off to the side for her turn.

“Jack Sparrow…be it known that you have been charged, tried and convicted…” The official droned, recounting Jack numerous crimes.

“Captain!” I muttered under my breath. The official continued to read off Jack’s crimes, many of which I could account for in his biography. I spotted Will as he made his way through the crowd. Luckily, he had been absolved of his crimes when we returned. He and I together had come up with a plan to set Jack and Evie free. I shifted slightly and felt my sword rub against my leg under my dress.

“This is wrong,” Elizabeth said, her gaze on Jack. Norrington didn't reply.

“Commodore Norrington is bound by the law. As are we all,” our father responded. The official continued and Jack smiled as he mentioned something about impersonating a cleric. I made a mental note to ask Jack about that one if today's plan went well. I saw a flutter of blue and spotted Cotton’s parrot landing on a flagpole. I smiled slightly. Will apparently also noticed the parrot and made his way towards us.

“Governor Swann. Commodore. Abby,” he greeted. I smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. Will turned his attention to Elizabeth, but she completely ignored him. “Elizabeth.” My sister looked at him in surprise. “I should have told you every day from the moment I met you...I love you.” Elizabeth’s jaw went slack as Will moved off. Our father and Norrington glanced at Elizabeth in shock. It took all my willpower not to squeal and jump for joy. I had been waiting for them to finally admit their feelings for far too long. I turned my attention back to the gallows as the drum roll began and the noose was placed around Jack’s neck. Will began to push through the crowd, eliciting noises of complaints from multiple people.

“Lizzie, faint!” I whispered as Norrington moved forward, seeming to notice that Will was up to something.

“Marines! --” Norrington started to order.

“I can't breathe!” Elizabeth gasped, collapsing.

“Lizzie!” I cried, feigning concern. Our father and Norrington knelt next to her and our father began fanning her with his hat.

“MOVE!” Will yelled as he pushed through the crowd. He drew one of his swords. A few women screamed and people quickly moved out of his way. The drum role ended and Elizabeth sat up suddenly, wanting to see if it worked. Will threw his sword just as the trap door dropped. The sword embedded itself in the wood, giving Jack something to stand on.

“What...?” Our father wondered, confused. He groaned when he realized she was faking and Norrington ran off to command his men. Will raced up the steps of the gallows and engaged the executioner. Will’s sword was knocked away and he ducked, causing the executioner to swing his axe and cut Jack’s rope. Will then knocked the executioner off the gallows and on top of Norrington and his men.

“Sorry, father,” I apologized and ran off, drawing my cutlass as I went. I ignored my father’s call as I raced for the gallows, pushing and shoving through the panicked crowd. Evie met me at the bottom of the stairs.

“What are you doing?” She demanded as I cut her bonds.

I smiled. “You didn’t really think I would let my best friend die without a fight, did you?” I handed her my cutlass. “Now go! Follow Will and Jack!” Evie smiled gratefully and ran off. I stayed behind, out of the way of the fighting. Jack tossed one end of his rope to Will and they made their way to the ramparts, using the rope to trip the Marines as they went. Evie blocked a few swings with her cutlass and ran after the two men. Will and Jack jumped and rolled out of the way of two soldiers and Evie clobbered a third. The three finally skidded to a halt as their path was cut off by a row of soldiers with muskets pointed at them. I rushed over to find Norrington with his sword at Will’s throat. My father and Elizabeth ran up behind me.

“I thought we might have to endure some ill-conceived manner of escape attempt,” Norrington spat at Will. “But not from you.”

“On our return to Port Royal I granted you clemency, and this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with them? They’re pirates!” My father said angrily.

“And good people,” Will countered, throwing down his sword. Jack grinned and gloated to the soldiers and Evie rolled her eyes at the pirate. “If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn three pairs of boots instead of two...So be it. At least my conscience will be clear.”

“You forget your place, Turner,” Norrington growled.

Will smirked. “It's right here -- between you and Jack and Evie.”

“As is mine,” I declared, moving to stand in front of Evie.

“And mine,” Elizabeth added, standing next to Will and grabbing his hand.

“Elizabeth! Abby!” Our father gasped. Norrington froze as he saw Elizabeth’s and Will’s linked hands. “Lower your weapons! For goodness sake, put them down!” The soldiers slowly lowered their muskets.

“So this is where your heart truly lies, then?” Norrington asked Elizabeth.

“It is,” Elizabeth confirmed. I felt bad for the Commodore. He looked like he had been punched in the gut. I may not have agreed with his methods, but I knew he was a good man, he was just doing what he thought was right.

“Well, I'm actually feeling rather good about this,” Jack piped up. He moved to stand in front of my father. “I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically…” My father grimaced as Jack breathed in his face. Jack turned to Norrington. “I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that. Elizabeth.” Elizabeth looked at the pirate. “It would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry, but I’ve found someone else. Will…” He hesitated, trying to think of what to say. “Nice hat.” Will smiled. “Abby.” I gave him a questioning look. “The invitation is still open. There’s plenty of room aboard my ship.” I stared at him, unsure how to answer. I wanted to go with him, but I knew I couldn’t leave Evie behind.

“Go with him.” I snapped my head to Evie.

“What?”

“Go with him,” she repeated.

“But what about you?”

Evie shrugged. “I’ll figure something out.”

“I can’t just leave you behind!” I protested. “They’ll kill you!”

Evie stepped towards me and placed her hands on my shoulders. “Abby, you have the chance to be with the man you love. Don’t deny it!” I closed my mouth with an audible snap. “Don’t make the same mistake I did.” I sighed, thinking over her words. Suddenly, I had an idea.

“Jack, we’re bringing Evie with us!’

Jack eyed me suspiciously. “I don’t think that's the best idea. How do I know she won’t strangle me in my sleep?”

“She’s not going to strangle you, are you Evie?” I turned to Evie with a raised eyebrow.

Evie shrugged. “Can’t really make any promises.” I narrowed my eyes warningly. She sighed heavily, almost sounding tired. “Fine, but he better behave.”

I grinned. “That’s decided then!” I grabbed her hand and dragged her to Jack who then grabbed my hand and dragged us to the wall.

“Friends! This is the day you will always remember as the day that you --” Jack never finished his sentence as he backed too far and tripped over the edge of the wall, falling into the water below. Evie rolled her eyes and jumped over the side. I turned to my adopted father and Elizabeth.

“Thank you, Governor, for everything. Elizabeth, you were the best sister a girl could ask for. I love you both very much.” I turned to Will. “Will, take good care of her.” With that, I followed after Jack and Evie. I came up sputtering.

“Now what?” Evie inquired as the three of us treaded water.

“We swim for the ship,” I told her.

“What ship?”

“Sail ho!” A soldier announced from the fort. We all turned to see the Black Pearl, returned to her pre-curse glory, sailing around a cliff.

“That ship,” Jack grinned.

“Race ya!” I shouted. We swam for the ship and Cotton tossed a rope down for us. Jack grabbed the rope and wrapped an arm around my waist.

“Hold on, luv.” We were hoisted into the air and Evie quickly grabbed onto the rope below us. We were dropped onto the deck and the crew approached us. “Thought you were supposed to keep to the code,” Jack told Gibbs.

“We figured they were more actual...guidelines,” Gibbs replied, causing me to grin. Gibbs offered his captain a hand.

Cotton handed Jack his hat. “Thank you.”

“Captain Sparrow…” Anamarie called, getting Jack’s attention. She walked over and placed Jack’s coat on his shoulders. “The Black Pearl is yours.” Jack slowly walked over to the wheel and ran a hand fondly over the black wood. He paused, as if suddenly realizing the crew was watching.

“On deck, you scabrous dogs! Hands to braces! Let go and haul to run free…” The crew rushed to obey his orders. I moved to obey, but Jack slid his arm around my waist and drew me to his side. “Where do you think your goin?” He asked, his breath tickling my ear.

“To follow your orders, Captain,” I replied.

Jack smiled and hummed appreciatively. “I like it when you call me Captain.”

I smirked. “Well, lucky for you, I’ll get a chance to say it more now.” Suddenly, Jack’s lips were on mine. I froze in surprise, but quickly melted into the kiss. I slid my arms around his neck and he let go of the wheel to tangle his other hand in my hair. When he pulled back, I was breathless.

Jack smirked at my expression. “I’ve been waiting a while to do that.”

“Why didn’t you do it sooner?”

Jack lifted a hand and stroked my cheek. “I was somewhat preoccupied with other matters.”

I smiled mischievously. “Well, then maybe you should do it again to make up for lost time.” Jack smirked and obliged, connecting our lips once again. He pulled away again and returned a hand to the wheel, keeping his other arm around my waist.

“Captain Sparrow.” We both looked down at Evie on the main deck. “If you hurt her, you’re going to wish you kept that piece of Aztec gold.” The usual warmth to her green eyes was gone as she gazed cooly at the dreadlocked pirate at my side. Jack gulped and nodded. Evie narrowed her eyes before finally nodding in satisfaction and went to help the crew.

“Scary, that one,” Jack said.

“Actually, that was rather mild considering what she did to my last boyfriend,” I admitted.

Jack glanced at me with a cocked eyebrow. “Do I even want to know?”

I chuckled and shook my head. “No. She means well, though.”

“Well, I better make sure I stay on her good side then.” Jack pulled his compass from his belt. “Now... Bring me that horizon…” He glanced at the dial and adjusted the wheel a few degrees. As we sailed, he began humming to himself. “...and really bad eggs... Drink up me hearties, yo ho…” He snapped the compass shut and we were off on our next adventure.


End file.
